Because he's a Malfoy
by Pinkjimmychoos
Summary: **Next gen fic: A Weasley and a Malfoy actually being FRIENDS is strange enough, the idea of them being anything MORE than that is simply preposterous... Isn’t it? Rose/Scorpius-- Through Hogwarts and beyond, their changing relationship. **NOW COMPLETE!**
1. Prologue

**Because he's a Malfoy…**

**Summary: **The notion of a Weasley and Malfoy being _friends_ is weird enough, the concept of them being anything more than that is simply preposterous. Isn't it? Rose/Scorpius. Post Deathly Hallows.

**Rating: **T (for language in later chapters), begins as K.

**Disclaimer: **I wish I could take credit for the brilliance that is Harry Potter but I own none of it. JK Rowling does. I write for fun, not profit, please don't sue.

**A/n:** This is the first time I've taken a shot at writing anything other than a _24_ fic and I feel like I've taken a real leap out of my comfort zone. I've not read that many Scorpius/Rose stories so sorry if this idea has already been done to death already, but was re-reading end of DH the other day and was inspired to write this FF for some reason! This story takes up where the epilogue ended. I hope you like it- not sure how many chapters it's going to be but I know it's going to be quite long and how it's going to end, which is always a good start!

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**Prologue**

**The Hogwarts Express**

**2017, Kings Cross Station**

It was September the 1st and Rose Weasley was nervous. Not just nervous in a 'my tummy is doing little flip-flops' kind of way, but _nervous_-nervous. Infact, her tummy had butterflies whose wings seemed to be flapping as wildly as a hippogriffs. The said reason for such nervousness was that today, after what seemed like a never-ending wait, Rose Weasley was finally off to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. _Finally!_ The last few months had seemed endlessly long as she had gathered together her multiple syllabus books, her brand new wand (made from maple and phoenix feather and purchased at Ollivanders) and her very own familiar bought from the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley. Now today was finally here and she was feeling a little anxious, though incredibly excited too.

Her cousin Albus was nervous as well, she knew, as both of them stood surrounded by the members of their respective families, gazing at the shiny red Hogwarts Express whose steam was chuffing merrily from its vast smokestack, and obscuring the crowds of students waiting to board. "Whoa," she heard Albus mutter, awed. His voice contained a reverence that could be heard even over the crowds of chattering students who milled all around them, calling and laughing to one another, carrying everything from broomsticks to fat rats, to slimy green toads.

Rose looked up at her mother and father who were beaming as they gazed around Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters and they smiled down at her fondly, both with nostalgic looks in their eyes. Her little brother Hugo crossed _his_ eyes at her, causing her to giggle as she caught him in a hug, which he was quick to wriggle out of. "It'll be _you_ soon," she promised him in undertone and he nodded, pouting slightly. She knew Hugo sometimes felt left behind being two years younger than her but at least he had little Lily to keep him company whilst she was away at Hogwarts. The Potter and Weasley families lived very close to each other in Port Cicely in Cornwall, a mere two streets away in fact, and only an hour away from her granny and granddad Weasley, though _much_ quicker by floo. Rose liked having the people she cared about living so nearby and whenever her mother had to work late at Gringotts where she was Head Curse-Breaker, she and Hugo spent a lot of time at her Aunty Ginny's. Aunty Ginny was an independent potioneer and had her very own laboratory in what had once been an old garage attached to their house. The cars were long-gone however. Rose was always fascinated by the potions brewed there with their strong smells of sulphur and zingy magical components. Her aunty had even managed to brew _a Bat-Bogie_ Hex in a jar, which Rose thought was wonderful. Rose thought that maybe _she_ could be a potioneer too when she grew up, or maybe a Healer, though she _was_ only eleven and knew she had plenty of time yet to change her mind.

"Look who it is," her father's voice cut into the excited chatter as he caught Harry's eye and tilted his head to some point fifty feet down the crowded platform. A slender man with a somewhat pointed face stood there in a long dark coat, flanked by presumably his wife and a young boy who was _clearly _his son as he looked so much like him, right down to the pale skin and slender figure. When the man caught sight of Mr. Weasley, his expression was curt. He merely nodded and then focused back on his own family once more. Ron grinned at Harry who found himself smiling back, knowingly, an amused spark in his green eyes.

"So _that's_ little Scorpius…" Ron muttered under his breath and Hermione and Rose looked up then too. "Make sure you beat him in every test Rosie, thank god you inherited your mother's brains…"

Rose found herself following her father's eye line, not paying attention to her mothers immediate reproach, and wrinkled a freckled nose with interest as she caught sight of the boy to whom he was referring- evidently he was one of the _Malfoy's _she had heard so much about, it was written all over him from his well tailored trousers to perfectly groomed hair that was so incredibly blond that in the gloomy station it looked almost white. He had piercing grey eyes, reminiscent of cold sterling silver. Dressed in his Hogwarts robes already like her and clutching a beautiful tawny owl to him in a large cage, she thought he looked a little lost and almost frightened. But only for a second. As his father said something to him, the boy smiled, seemingly assured, and was then swept up in a hug by both of his parents, before he made his way to the train, clutching his trunk tightly to him. His departure seemed to spur on James, and Albus too, who turned to his father and looked upset all of a sudden. He tugged his fathers arm and Harry bent down and addressed him solemnly, in such a low voice that Rose couldn't hear what he was saying.

"You'd better go and get a seat, the train will be leaving shortly," her mother looked tearful for just a second but then caught herself. "You and Albus stick together at first, alright?"

"Ok mum," Rose said with a smile, setting down her rickety cage to which her father cast a look of visible distaste.

"Can't say I'm sorry to see _that_ thing go," he muttered with a pointed look to the ginger kneazle-kitten inside, who hissed at him by way of retaliation. Her dad took a couple of hasty steps backwards, almost stumbling over Roses' trunk with his long legs. His wife giggled as she helped him to his feet and he smiled sheepishly.

"_Daddy_," Rose pointed out with an exasperated grin so like her mothers, "Crookshanks II is _very_ well-behaved, you just always seem to get him on bad days."

He hugged her tightly to him, "if you say so darling," he said good-naturedly. "Now, you be good, you hear? I know it's given that you'll work hard, but even your _mum_ was led astray at Hogwarts…"

"_Your_ fault ninety nine percent of the time, Ronald," her mother said indignantly, crossing her arms and eyeballing her husband with good-humored reproach. Harry, who was still hugging Albus, snickered and Ginny hid a smile of agreement.

Her dad lowered his voice, "…and you can owl me whenever you want, ok? Just use Albus' owl. I'll miss you Rosie, but we'll see you at Christmas."

Rose blinked back tears, not wanting to cry in front of her cousins and aunt and uncle, but her dad seemed to sense the way she was feeling and held her extra tightly for a minute. "You too, daddy."

Her mother was next. She hugged Rose to her, stroking her red hair. "You're going to love it there," she promised her daughter, "just be happy sweetheart, ok? Oh, and stay away from the third floor. You have Victoire and James if you need any help finding your way around and--" she laughed self consciously, "you'll be _fine_," she asserted instead; "I know you will…"

"Ok mum," Rose said swallowing her nerves as she gave her brother another cuddle and he stuck his tongue out at her, though she noticed he hugged her back just as strongly.

"Come on kiddies!" her cousin James called, brightening at the realization that he was now in fact a second-year, "hey... it's nice not to be one of the young ones any more… I've got us a carriage in the good part of the train! Hurry up, slowcoaches!"

With one last look at her parents who were beaming at her, Rose followed an exuberant James with Albus trailing behind her, as they got settled into one of the plush carriages. By the time they'd finally finished fiddling with their things, Albus became aware that the other students in the carriage were gawping out of the window. And not just in _their _carriage. His brow furrowed in bewilderment at the realization that so many eyes up and down the train were in fact gaping in awe at his very own father. "Why are they all staring?" he demanded, baffled as he opened the windows and addressed his parents.

"Don't let it worry you," said Roses' dad with a modest grin and a wink at his daughter; "it's _me_. I'm extremely famous." That _was_ true of course, Ron was a former world-class quidditch keeper and now a very famous quidditch referee and wizard sports commentator, but Rose knew the _real_ reason why people were staring at her Uncle Harry: he was The-Boy-Who-Lived, The-Boy-Who-Defeated-He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and _now_ a world-renowned Auror, the most famous dark-wizard catcher ever, who apparated the globe tracing signs of dark magic. She suspected that maybe Albus hadn't been quite aware of his dad's notoriety. She was sure once they got to Hogwarts he would become a lot more perceptive at just how big a part his dad had played in Wizarding history, but for now he was just… _dad_.

Rose and her cousins laughed as she beamed at her mum and dad, who were smiling back up at her, and at Hugo, who was looking forlorn now that his big sister was leaving him at last. "I'll owl you and tell you all about Hogwarts," she promised him, and his little face visibly brightened.

Five minutes later, the Hogwarts Express chuffed slowly out of Kings Cross and Rose and Albus pressed their faces to the window, waving through the glass until their parents and siblings became tiny dots in the distance and eventually they couldn't see the station at all any more.

**HPHPHPHPHP**

After the initial feeling of tears and loneliness had abated, Rose found that traveling by the Hogwarts Express proved to be a very fun experience indeed. She, Albus and James were in a carriage with some of James' friends from Gryffindor and soon a very heated game of exploding snap was underway. The game grew ever more intense (and loud) after the addition of some joke firework powder given to Albus by his uncle George from his joke shop. A game of wizard chess with Albus also took up a pleasurable few hours, aided with much-needed sustenance from pumpkin pasties and big bags of wizard sweets. Rose had a particular fondness for Pepper Imps and her mum had also pressed upon her a peculiar addiction to toothflossing stringmints. She won at chess of course too; she wasn't her father's daughter for nothing and had inherited his seemingly unbeatable strategies, much to Albus' chagrin as he saw his terrified little players taken out one-by-one.

The hours flew by, as outside the train the sky grew ever darker. They passed through large towns, rolling countryside and eventually the terrain grew more rugged as it trundled through hills and moors dotted with purple heather and scattered with fluffy sheep. "Almost there," James told them cheerfully, prodding his brother in the shoulder, "you'd better put on your robes now, Al."

Rose held her breath as the scarlet train began to slow, and then finally came to a complete stop in an archaic, tiny station.

They were here. A feeling of expectation and utter anticipation coiled in her stomach as she jumped to her feet in excitement.

They were finally here.


	2. The Sorting Hat

**The ****Sorting Hat- Ch1**

**A/N: **Ok, I apologise that this is a slightly long chapter but I felt it necessary to add dimensions to the characters. I don't think _all_ of them will be as long as this, but you never know! I have also introduced the Scamander twins, whom HP Lexicon dictates are younger than the Potters and Weasley's, but I liked their names and decided to make them the same age, mainly for stuff I'm planning on putting in later chapters. Sorry again and hope it doesn't detract too much from the rest of the plot!

**Disclaimers: **In chapter one. I have also 'borrowed' the riddle used here from the website '' and hope they will be kind enough not to sue me, for alas I have no money so there would really be no point.

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"We're here!" Albus beamed as he scrambled to collect his bags, jostling his owl in the process who gave an indignant squawk and flapped his wings against the bars of his cage in protest.

"You'll go with Hagrid in the boats," James told them as he collected his own things, "first-years always do, so we won't see you until the sorting ceremony in the Great Hall." He addressed his brother, "ok Al? Remember what dad said: it doesn't matter which house you get put into."

Albus nodded uncertainly as his brother clapped him on the back and followed his friends from the train. Rose gathered her wand, her trunk and Crookshanks II as the two of them made their way out of the carriage, trying not to trip on their long robes.

The quaint train station was bustling with older students trying to make their way to the waiting enchanted carriages which Rose knew were pulled by thestrals, but they had no problems whatsoever locating Hagrid who beamed at them both, beckoning them to join him. He towered a good five feet over everyone else there and his bushy moustache was flecked with grey. "Miss Rose, Master Albus," he said with a grin, "how did yer enjoy yer firs' ride on t' Hogwarts Express?"

"It was _brilliant!_" Albus declared, pleased to see Hagrid again. He was Care of Magical Creatures professor at the school as well as being Lily's godfather and Rose knew that Albus couldn't wait to ride a Hippogriff.

Other first years straggled over, struggling under the weight of their things. "They'll be levitated t' the school later," the giant explained kindly, "no room for 'em on boats, like. Leave 'em 'ere for now, and yer familiars," his beetle-like black eyes searched the crowd of expectant faces around him as he pulled out a list on a tatty piece of parchment. Rose set down her cage with the reluctant Crookshanks II and he yowled miserably as she shushed him.

"Better just let me check you're all here like," Hagrid said, ticking off names, "no one wants t' get left behind, do they?" Clearly everyone _was_ there for he set the parchment back in his pocket with a grin, pleased. "Righty-O then, follow me first years!"

Rose found herself walking beside Albus as they trailed after Hagrid through the dimly lit station and towards the pier beside the lake. Huge trees that lined the stony path swayed overhead just giving a glimpse at the sparkling stars and the vast white moon. "It's so pretty," she whispered to Albus, who nodded eagerly. She wanted to absorb every single second of her arrival to Hogwarts and paid close attention to everything about this night.

"This way, Miss Rose," Hagrid encouraged, realising how much like her mother and father she was, and suddenly feeling very old; "to the boats now. Mind yer step all o' you- sometimes Blast-ended Skrewts like t' hide in the bushes."

"Blast-ended skrewts?" Rose asked doubtfully, "I thought they were extinct..." she hurried to keep up with the game-keeper's large strides.

"A lot o' people think _that_," Hagrid said with a wink, "mind yerself Miss Rose, the path is slippery now..."

"Are they dangerous?" asked a wobbly-voiced boy walking behind Rose with Albus, his lower lip trembling slightly. Rose recognised him as Professor Longbottom's only son, Phillius. Her mum and dad were great friends with the Hogwarts professor of Herbology who knew the name and property of every kind of species of plant and flower and she was looking forward to his lessons almost as much as transfiguration and astronomy in which she had already read the text books for _three_ times, much to her dad's amusement.

"Not these ones Mr Longbottom," Hagrid assured him, "they're only babies, bless 'em. Bred 'em meself. Of course, it's the adolescent's yer want t' be careful of. They grow ten feet long with a big stinger and--"

The majority of the first years gulped in unison and Hagrid cleared his throat. "Course," he finished with a forced beam, "there's not _too_ many around Hogwarts. Ye needn't worry. Right! Into the boats, the lot o' yeh."

And with that abrupt change of subject, the first-years hopped eagerly into the transportation waiting to take them across the darkened lake.

The magical boats were big enough for three. Rose found herself sharing with Albus and Lorcan Scamander who she knew vaguely through his mum, Luna, who was good friends with her own mother and Aunty Ginny. Lorcan's twin brother, Lysander, drifted along beside them in the neighbouring boat, expression as dreamy as his mothers, as he searched the surface of the water for snorkacks and water sprites.

"What house do you think you'll be in?" Lorcan asked them mischievously, breaking the nervous silence that hung over them.

Rose exchanged a glance with Albus. "Don't know," she said honestly, though she suspected her cousin was _dreading_ the sorting. "How about you?" she asked him, interested.

"Well, mum was a Ravenclaw," Lorcan said matter-of-factly, "but when dad was at Durmstrang they weren't sorted into houses at all, so he isn't too bothered and thinks it's a lot of old fuss about nothing. I think I'd quite like to be in Gryffindor, actually."

Albus's green eyes lit up at this insight. "Me too!"

"How about you, Lysander?" Rose asked the other Scamander twin, making an effort to be friendly. She had heard from her mother that one of the brothers was shy and reserved and the other as wildly impulsive and adventurous as her late uncle Fred had been; she supposed no two brothers were alike deep down, even identical twins.

Lysander jumped, startled from his reverie, and blinked at them. "I think that any house would be just lovely," he said, his voice lyrical.

Lorcan rolled his eyes, "he's in a dream world most of the time," he informed the others, blithely, eagerly looking into the lake for any sighting of the giant squid. To see _that _so soon would be really cool!

Lysander shrugged in agreement, indicating he had taken no offence at his brother's statement, "well, any house _other_ than Slytherin," he added mildly, "I don't want to go in there."

Rose suddenly realised that the other occupant of Lysander's boat was none other than Scorpius Malfoy himself, his blond hair shimmering in the light of the moon. His expression was aloof, rather like she had expected it to be and he gave no indication as to whether or not he had heard their conversation, though she knew he must have. Maybe he was thinking of hexes for all those who insulted Slytherin, she thought to herself, perplexed and then instantly felt bad. She shouldn't make quick judgements she knew, only she just couldn't help it. It was one of her biggest faults, forming immediate first-impressions of people and sometimes it was very hard for her to change her mind.

As the rippling water lapped gently at the wooden boat, she caught the sudden expression of unhappiness that flashed across Scorpius' face before he turned away again; studiously ignoring everyone and everything around him; he looked back out at the dark water, making his face neutral once more. She was rather surprised to see him sat in a boat with Lysander, who clearly _wasn't_ Slytherin material. She had expected Scorpius to be surrounded by a crowd of eager wannabe-Slytherin's the second he hopped off the train, clamouring to get to know him better, not with this rather quiet, dreamy boy. She was sure _that _would all soon change though, once they got to Hogwarts.

"There it is!" Hagrid's voice boomed out over the still water, "up on the hill! Yer first glance at Hogwarts!"

Rose found herself gazing upwards like all the other first years, excitement welling in her as she caught her first glance of the school, the towers looming up majestically from the darkness and framed in the light of the full moon. It was _beautiful-_ proudly spectacular, just as her mother and father had described to her so many times, with its vast turrets and shining windows.

"Wow…" she found herself saying out loud, a sentiment echoed by many others in the boats around her. Uncertainly, she looked over at Scorpius, not really knowing why. He was gazing up at the school too, entranced. His aloof expression was now softened and the look of unhappiness had been taken from his face. He looked almost as excited as she herself felt, though he didn't smile, it was just indicated by the sparkle in his eyes. He glanced over then and when he caught her looking at him, he frowned and quickly plastered a scowl onto his face, the light instantly fading from his eyes.

Rose turned away then too, wondering why he didn't want anyone to see him look pleased about something. Probably because he was a Malfoy.

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

The anxious group of first-years departed the boats and shuffled after Hagrid through the gates and into the massive grounds of Hogwarts, Rose still gazing around herself wordlessly. The hippogriff flapping madly in her tummy had come back again.

"It's just like my dad said," Albus said gleefully in undertone, prodding her in the side.

Rose nodded and for a minute felt incredibly homesick. She missed her mum and dad and Hugo, even though she knew he'd join her here in two years and he _could_ be a big pain in the bum sometimes. She missed her granny and granddad Weasley and the chaos of The Burrow. She missed little Lily and her Uncle George and Aunty Ginny and Uncle Harry and Uncle Bill and Aunty Fleur and--

"Welcome first years!" said a grave voice from the darkness. Rose stopped short, thoughts of homesickness instantly forgotten at the rather intimidating sight of the headmistress Minerva McGonagall striding out of the darkness. She knew the woman had been her mum's transfigurations teacher and head of Gryffindor house back in her parent's day, but she still looked a little stern and cross. The Scottish brogue grew friendlier however as the headmistress cast warm eyes over them all; "I am pleased you have arrived here at last. Please follow me to the Great Hall, as the sorting ceremony is about to begin…"

With those rather ominous words, she strode back into the building, leaving the students to scurry after her, exchanging nervous glances and low whispers. To no ones surprise, Scorpius was the first to move, striding imperiously after McGonagall, his robes flaring slightly. Rose noticed he was now wearing the same confident expression he'd worn at Kings Cross and her nose wrinkled again as she followed him.

The first years gathered outside the Great Hall in little groups.

"Line up in pairs," McGonagall instructed them and they quickly obliged. Rose found herself standing beside a visibly shaking Albus. "Don't worry," she implored him, "you know your dad said this isn't too scary…"

Albus smiled at her, looking like he felt better. "Thanks Rose, I'm glad you're here," he said solemnly.

She heard a distinct snort and turned around to see Scorpius stood behind her. She arched a brow at him and he met her gaze, looking rather supercilious. _"What?"_ she asked challengingly.

"Nothing," he said with a roll of his grey eyes, "it's just... you're _exactly_ what I was expecting."

Rose narrowed her eyes, "what do you mean?"

"Do you want me to repeat it?" he said, meeting her gaze head on.

For a second, a mere split-second, Rose was actually waiting for him to add; "Mudblood," only he didn't. Instead, he looked away again and for a second she thought he looked almost embarrassed to have spoken. Confusion welled in her once more and that familiar guilt. She knew it was wrong to judge Scorpius Malfoy without truly knowing him, but honestly, what did he expect?

Rose frowned at him as McGonagall reappeared and then pushed open the doors of the Great Hall. "Enter," she instructed them.

They did, walking into the Great Hall in awe. "Wow…" Albus said, gaping at the ceiling, "there's the sky!"

"It's enchanted to look that way on purpose," Rose reminded him as they walked down the long aisle between the tables, "remember... mum told me. She read it in 'Hogwarts a History...'"

Again, she was sure she heard muttering coming from behind her, but she didn't turn around this time. She couldn't confront the obnoxious Malfoy Junior with so many other students eyes on them from the four huge tables, not to mention the _teachers_ who were all sat at the head table too, watching the new first years keenly.

They came to a stop at the bottom of the stage, on which sat a wooden stool. "Your house here will become your family," McGonagall began as her keen eyes roved over the expectant new students and other students alike who were all listening intently. "Hogwarts has four houses- Gryffindor..." (Rose felt Albus light up beside her), "…Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Your triumphs here will earn you points but any misdeeds or shall we say _misadventures_..." she cast an eye on Lorcan as she said this and Lorcan squirmed, "…will lose you house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the house cup. Good luck everybody..." at this, she turned to the stage and pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment. "When I call your name, you will sit on the stool for your sorting. Albus Severus Potter…"

Rose felt Albus gulp and he looked tremulously at her as he mounted the platform and sat nervously on the stool, to hushed whispers from the other students who clearly recognised the name. McGonagall conjured an old tatty hat seemingly out of midair, and with a kind smile that belied her seemingly stern demeanour, set it on Albus' head. Rose was startled when it spoke, or rather shouted out; "_Gryffindor!_"

"Gosh," she heard Lysander mutter faintly as he took a couple of steps backwards, "he's rather loud, isn't he?"

Lorcan chuckled at his brother's understatement. Albus beamed as he hopped off the stool and raced to the Gryffindor table, where he was met with enthusiastic applause from the other students and sat down by both his older brother and their other cousin, Uncle Bill's daughter Victoire, a sixth-year who Rose would bet money on being Hogwarts head girl next year.

"Lorcan Scamander," the headmistress said, but Rose noticed her eyes were twinkling.

"Uh-oh," Rose heard Lorcan mutter, irony ringing in his voice, and suppressed a smile as the dark haired boy hopped up onto the stage. She could already tell he would probably be a class clown but not mean with it. He seemed funny and clever. Lysander seemed bright too, but a bit... vague. Rose remembered her dad telling her about Luna's commentary at school Quidditch matches and how she'd elaborated on cloud formations and weather conditions rather than the game being played out in front of everyone. She suspected Lysander would also be a student who had his head very much in the clouds.

_"Ah, a Lovegood-Scamander," _the hat said almost gleefully as Lorcan's eyes looked sceptical. "_Am I correct in thinking __**two**__ of you will grace our presence this year?_"

Lorcan nodded, the oversized hat bobbing on his head.

"_Interesting,_" the hat deduced contemplatively, "well _I think in this case... Gryffindor!_"

Rose clapped along with everyone else as Lorcan smiled good-naturedly and headed over to Albus who was looking pleased to have a friend in his house.

"Lysander Scamander," McGonagall called.

Rose was as surprised as anyone when the hat decided to place Lorcan's identical twin in Ravenclaw, but the two of them didn't seem too perplexed to be separated. Lorcan headed to the Ravenclaw table with a dreamy smile where he was warmly greeted by the students there.

Rose missed the next group of students being sorted, she was too worried about her own sorting- which house would _she_ end up in? In fact, she was so distracted, nineteen other students had been sorted before she was finally pulled from her reverie, realising there were only three of them left at the bottom of the stage.

"Phillius Longbottom!" McGonagall called out as she scrolled her eyes down the parchment.

With an anxious glance at those around him and a look towards his father on the teachers table, Phillius climbed up on the platform as the hat was placed on his head. The hat immediately cried out; _"Gryffindor!"_ just like it had with Albus. Phillius shot a glance to the staff table once more and saw that his dad was beaming at him and clapping loudly, pride written all over his face. Phillius grinned back and headed to the table, where he sat down beside Al and opposite Lorcan with a relieved smile.

"Rose Weasley!" McGonagall said next.

Rose took a deep breath, trying to quell the squiggly feeling in her tummy. It almost felt the same as it did when she ate too many pepper imps or got a particularly nasty flavoured Botts Bean, but she knew it was just nerves. Her mum had told her that when she was back at Hogwarts _she'd_ been petrified about this ceremony and that her dad had been teased by his brothers into thinking it was something scary too, which was funny as her dad never got scared about anything. Except maybe spiders.

Rose knew that the Sorting Ceremony wasn't scary but she couldn't help hoping that she would be placed into a house that would please both her parents and by that, she meant any house that _wasn't _Slytherin. The house didn't have quite the reputation that it had had in the past, but Rose had grown up with her family's stories of death eaters and Slytherin sneakiness and manipulation and she knew that she didn't want to be placed there if she could help it, despite what her Uncle Harry told her and that the past was the past.

Hesitantly, she approached the podium, and with an encouraging smile from the headmistress, took a seat on the rickety wooden stool. Her palms felt sweaty all of a sudden and her heart was beating quickly.

The hat was placed on her head. It slipped down slightly over her red hair, almost covering her eyes and she grew jumpy at the voice she suddenly heard echoing in her head and booming around the now-silent hall.

"_Hmmmm… a Granger-Weasley! What on earth do I do with you_?" the voice pondered, "_interesting, interesting… well, well…Brains just like your mothers I see and a stubbornness and strong sense of determination and bravery just like your father. You have clearly inherited their best traits, Miss Weasley. The question is… where to put you? I think…"_

Rose held her breath.

"_Ravenclaw!" _the hat finished with flourish.

Rose beamed a gap-toothed smile, to applause from the professors and the table at the right-hand side of the Great Hall. It wasn't Gryffindor and she hoped her parents wouldn't be _too _disappointed she hadn't been placed in their old house, but she could hardly wait to begin her lessons, knowing she would be among like-minded students with a strong impetus on learning. She happily headed to the table, by-passing her cousin Al, who was watching her, looking disappointed as Lorcan nodded. "Sorry you weren't put in here, Rose," he said as he gestured to the Gryffindor table. James, sitting beside him for moral support on his little brothers first day there, nodded. Across the table, Victoire smiled, looking proud as she fastened back her flowing silvery hair. "You'll do well wherever you're placed," she said encouragingly. "The hat knew that."

Rose smiled; "as long as it's not _Slytherin_," she whispered to them with a grin that lit up her whole face before she scampered to the Ravenclaw table, "my mum and dad will be pleased!"

She sat down with her compatriots as the applause died down, to congratulations from her new house family as Lysander smiled absentmindedly at her. She stilled however as the final student was called to the podium and a hush fell over the hall once more.

"Scorpius Malfoy..." the headmistress announced.

Scorpius, to Roses' surprise, looked rather nervous as he climbed the stairs, well aware of the expectant silence of the other students. Infact, if Rose hadn't known any better, she would have deduced he was actually rather _self-conscious_, certainly not the usual disposition of a Malfoy! Gone was the confident smile she'd witnessed back at Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters as he spoke to his parents, now he looked just as unhappy as he had briefly in the boat. Though he was pale-skinned anyway, she felt he was even whiter than usual as he bit his lip and sat down on the stool. Then he lifted his head and the expression in his grey eyes was calm, as the hat was placed on his head, covering his shock of white-blond hair.

Like everyone else in the hall, Rose found herself expectantly leaning forwards to catch the sorting hat's words, though she needn't have bothered. The hat's words boomed loud and clear around the hall, echoing in the stark silence. She noticed even the teachers at the staff table were looking particularly interested at the final students sorting.

"_A Malfoy_!" the hat almost bellowed, and Roses' sharp eyes caught the boy flinch. His hands curled up on the seat of the stool, gripping it tensely. She found herself almost feeling sorry for him at the speculation that would surely come his way in future- she imagined he would revel in the attention however, though at the moment, judging from his pained expression, that didn't seem likely.

"_I've been waiting for you,"_ the hat barked almost impatiently, and to Rose's complete and utter shock the hat snapped immediately; _"Ravenclaw!"_

Instantly, excited, bewildered whispers broke out in the Great Hall.

"--Ravenclaw? Is he serious?"

"—Surely a _Malfoy _belongs in Slytherin—"

"—_Can't_ be right--"

Rose watched in disbelief as the headmistress lifted the hat from Scorpius' head and a slow, relieved expression crept over the boys pale face. He looked almost happy. Happy to be placed in _Ravenclaw _over the house of his father, mother and grandfather and multiple ancestors of the Malfoy lineage? _That_ didn't make any sense. Every Malfoy that Rose knew of had been a Slytherin. Wait until her mother heard about this! She would owl her the very first chance she could.

Hurriedly, a teacher at the staff table began clapping as Scorpius slid from his stool and the Ravenclaw table joined in, although not exactly enthusiastically, as the boy quickly made his way to his seat at his house table to muted applause. He slid silently into the seat opposite Rose and lowered his head as though thankful to be out of the limelight finally, as Rose watched him with a furrowed, sceptical brow.

The headmistress then crisply launched into some start-of-term announcements. "I have been informed by Hagrid," she inclined a head to the gamekeeper, "that there has been a sudden… influx of Blast-ended Skrewts in recent weeks. It is recommended that students wear shoes at all times in the Hogwarts grounds and should you get stung by anything, please see Madam Pomfrey _immediately_ for an antidote…"

Hagrid blushed and looked down at the table top.

"The Forbidden Forrest is still forbidden," McGonagall added, "and Janitor Goyle has also informed me that any students seen loitering in the corridors after curfew will join him in washing the house-elves socks in detention."

Rose couldn't stop the little smile of delight from creeping over her freckled face at this as she eyed the hulking man scowling in the corner. Washing socks for elves didn't seem to be _too_ much of a punishment, not that she wanted to get a detention of course.

"Now the sorting is over," the headmistress's voice echoed dimly through the hall as she raised her hand and candles flickered overhead, "let the feast begin!"

To Rose's astonishment, the Ravenclaw table as with all the others around it was suddenly piled high with assorted platters of food and shiny goblets of pumpkin juice. This was _much_ better even than the food her Grandma Molly conjured, and as for her mums 'cooking' well, it was hardly worth comparing.

Plates covered with crispy roast chicken, sumptuous juicy duck and brightly coloured vegetables were spread as far as she could see, not to mention the sticky chocolate éclairs, vanilla slices and numerous gooey wizard pastries oozing with jam and clotted cream that dominated several of the larger platters. She was rather like her father when it came to food and honestly didn't know where to begin. She wanted to try some of everything and opted for the chicken first.

"Tuck in!" instructed the friendly prefect on their table, and Rose happily obliged.

"I'm Scorpius," a voice cut in, silencing the mundane chatter at her end of the table, and she found herself looking up into icy grey eyes that regarded both her and the students beside her, "not _Draco_."

She got the feeling he was challenging her again, "I know that," she said, when she had found her voice, wondering what he meant and why he had said it.

"Good," he said quietly before picking up his pumpkin juice and taking a sip. She thought she heard him mutter something into the goblet that sounded very much like; "not that it matters…" and again wondered what he meant. She was distracted however by the girl next to her who was chattering in a friendly manner to her and Lorcan, and was saved from making further comment to Scorpius which made her feel rather relieved. She wasn't quite sure that she wanted to talk to a Malfoy _just yet_, be he Ravenclaw now or not.

**HPHPHPHPHP**

After the feast, the prefect led the first years to Ravenclaw tower. Rose was fascinated by the portraits on the walls that waved as they walked by and the ghost of the Grey Lady that greeted them all cordially as they climbed the stone staircases.

"To get into the common room you have to answer a riddle," the prefect explained with a smile, "we don't have a password like the other houses do, and the riddle is different every time."

This sounded like fun to Rose. Sure enough, as they reached the large wooden door that led to the Ravenclaw common room, the eagle-shaped knocker spoke to them. "_Ah, new students! Well, I have a riddle for you, an easy one since it is your first day…_" The first-years leaned forward and listened intently as it spoke;

"_I'm as small as an ant, as big as a whale.  
I'll approach like a breeze, but can come like a gale.  
By some I get hit, but all have shown fear.  
I'll dance to the music, though I can't hear.  
Of names I have many, of names I have one.  
I'm as slow as a snail, but from me you can't run. What am I?"_

Rose thought and was just about to open her mouth with what she was sure was the correct answer when a voice spoke up quietly from behind her; "a shadow…"

She turned around, somehow not surprised to find that it was Scorpius that had spoken, though he did seem to flush slightly at all the other student's eyes on him and looked down at his toes.

"Excellent! The young man is indeed correct…" the door swung open and the students filed in for their first glimpse of the Ravenclaw common room. Rose immediately felt at home. It was cosy, walls decorated in elegant blue and bronze and filled with tall candles casting off an evanescent glow. One whole wall was lined with books, both muggle and magic, Rose saw to her delight. There were pictures of wizard philosophers on the wall and a huge portrait of the beautiful Rowena Ravenclaw herself, who bowed to them courteously. A huge crackling fireplace added extra warmth to the room, over which words were inscribed in scrolling italics; "wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," which the prefect explained was their house motto. Some older students were already in there, playing exploding snap or chatting quietly. Rose longed to get to know her fellow housemates but was feeling rather tired after the traveling and almost uncomfortably full after the feast.

"You must all be tired," the prefect added with a smile like he had read Roses' mind, "it's been quite an exciting day for you I expect! The girls dorms are up there and boys to the left," he pointed up another spiral staircase, "you'll be pleased to know that _no_ riddles are required to get in, although," he added with a cheeky smile, "it is _forbidden_ for members of the opposite sex to enter the others dormitory and the consequences will be quite severe if anyone attempts it."

"Your trunks are up there too," he concluded, "they were levitated earlier. Your familiars are being tended to in The Owlery, or in the case of those have you who have brought kneazles or toads, being looked after by Hagrid. I suggest that you all get a good nights sleep before classes begin tomorrow. You will find your timetables arrive at breakfast. If anyone has any problems, please do not hesitate to come and find me."

Rose followed the four other girls up to her dormitory, yawning. Sure enough, their trunks were next to individual four poster beds that were again adorned with blue and bronze drapes. Each bed had a wooden wardrobe and bookshelf beside it and a tiny alcove with a chair and desk in which to study in private. The beds looked incredibly comfortable and though Rose had been expecting to feel nervous and homesick, she suddenly expected she would have no trouble sleeping tonight. She unpacked, chattering to the girl whose bed was next to hers and who had been her table-mate during the feast. Her name was Meera Gohil and to Roses' amusement she explained her mother had been a Ravenclaw back in the day and had been escorted to the Hogwarts Yule Ball by none other than Roses' very own dad! Rose giggled and made up her mind to owl her dad about a certain 'Padma Patil,' but she knew already that she would get on with Meera. The girl had a very mischievous sense of humor.

As she slid her books into her shelf, the homesickness faded slightly and she found herself looking forward to the next day, wondering what classes she would have first and hoping she would like her professors, for unsurprisingly, Rose Weasley was very much like her mother and loved to learn.

**HPHPHPHPHP**

Scorpius breathed out a sigh of relief as he sank onto his bed in the boy's dormitory. Thank Merlin _that _was over, he thought, feeling his tense shoulders finally unwind as he opened his trunk. He'd known the sorting would be arduous, even his father had warned him of that, but he had not been prepared for how trying the experience would be.

"People will be watching you Scorp," his dad had told him gently, his eyes searching his as they had prepared for him to board the Hogwarts Express in the smoky station, "and that's my fault. I'm afraid it's hard for some people to forget, even if they can forgive. I'm sorry…"

Scorpius had shrugged absently, "don't worry about it, dad."

"Whatever house you get sorted into," Draco had said solemnly, "it doesn't matter to me. I want you to know that."

"Really?" Scorpius had asked him hopefully, "so you mean… it doesn't matter if I don't go into Slytherin?"

A small smile had tugged at his father's lips; "no. It doesn't matter."

Scorpius had looked to his mother for confirmation. Astoria nodded in agreement, her blue eyes bright as she slipped her hand into Draco's. Scorpius' shoulders sagged as he let out a breath and a smile crept across his face. "Good," he said simply, "because I don't want to go there."

His dad looked surprised but not perturbed. "The hat will know where you belong," was all he said finally, pulling his son into a tight three-way hug just before he boarded the train.

Scorpius pulled his other set of robes out of his trunk now, hearing the chatter that went on around him from the other excited first-year boys in the dorm. No one had spoken to him all through the feast, aside from those two words from Rose Weasley. Not that he had actually _expected_ them to engage him in chatter however; he knew that the other Ravenclaw students were both shocked and probably resentful that he had been placed in their house.

_It wasn't fair_, Scorpius thought miserably as he set his books down on his shelf, running an idle finger over their spines. He just knew that nobody would give him much of a chance here. Not that he had wanted to go to _Durmstrang_ instead however. Gods, no! That school was notorious for its teaching of the dark arts even now and was prejudiced in its non-acceptance of muggle-borns, which was something Scorpius just couldn't understand. People were _people_ after all. His mother and father had outright refused to even consider sending him away to the school in Scandinavia, for which he was relieved.

"Do you want a chocolate frog?"

Scorpius looked up, startled at the voice that broke into his brooding and incredible homesickness. One of the Scamander twins- Lysander, he remembered was his name, was stood facing him and holding out one of the sweets. His eyes still wore that dreamy expression but Scorpius suspected that despite his somewhat 'airy' disposition, the other boy was very clever.

For the first time all day, a small smile broke out on Scorpius' sullen face as he accepted the chocolate frog with; "thanks."

Lysander shrugged, "chocolate attracts Nargles you know, you should be careful not to drop any on the floor or the dormitory will be overrun before you know it."

Scorpius looked bemused but his eyes were curious; "what are Nargles?"

"They're little furry creatures that like mistletoe," Lysander said matter of factly, "but my mum found out they like chocolate too. Easter was a nightmare in our house when they all crept out of the woodwork and started attacking our chocolate eggs. That's why I wear this round my neck…see?" he reached under his collar and around his neck hung a piece of string with a butterbeer cork stuck haphazardly through it; "my mum made me it."

Scorpius nodded. "Your mum owns The Quibbler, doesn't she? I like the stories in there _much_ better than the Daily Prophet. My mum reads it to us over breakfast."

Lysander brightened, "I like it too."

Scorpius reached into his own trunk and pulled out a bag of his own sweets, which he offered to Lysander, "do you want one of these?"

"What are they?" Lysander asked, eyeing the packaging curiously.

"Muggle sweets," Scorpius told him, "I got them from WH Smiths. They're chocolate éclairs and they're really good. Or I have some fruit pastilles if you want some of those instead."

"I don't think I've ever had muggle sweets before," Lysander said, fascinated as he took an éclair from the bag; "are fruit pastilles like puking pastilles?"

Scorpius shook his head and opened his chocolate frog, he quickly caught it before it could jump under the bed, then he looked down at the trading card that came with it; "Severus Snape…" he smiled sadly at the image of the brooding former Hogwarts professor with his dark eyes and distinguished black robes. Professor Snape's image half-smiled sadly back at him and then disappeared.

"He was your dad's godfather, wasn't he?" Lysander asked, his mouth full of chocolate and toffee. "And the potions teacher here years ago."

Scorpius nodded as he set the card down on his bedside table. "I wish I'd met him."

"My mum says he was really brave," Lysander said simply, "at the Battle of Hogwarts and all…"

Unknowingly, Lysander had said exactly the right thing. Scorpius smiled again as he felt some of his homesickness fade away and at the notion that maybe he _could_ make a friend here at Hogwarts after all.

* * *

**A/N:** Ok, so that's my first couple of chapters of my first attempt at a HP fic! I know JK herself has said she didn't think McGonagall would _still_ be headmistress at Hogwarts by the time the Weasley/Potter kids went there, but I honestly can't imagine anyone better suited to do it (other than Dumbledore of course!), so I'm hiring her! Please let me know what you think! --PJC


	3. The Wager

**The wager****- Ch2**

**A/N: **Thanks to those who took the time to review. I'm really glad people seem to like this story and thanks for pointing out the mistakes, constructive criticism is definitely welcome, I'm just glad people are interested enough to read this! I'll change the mistakes at some point I promise and again thanks to those who pointed it out! I have the next couple of chapters of this already written but I'm just editing them so expect another update fairly soon.

**Disclaimers: **See CH1

* * *

Rose found she settled into life at Hogwarts very quickly and though she was homesick at first, everything around her was so exciting that whenever she felt lonely, something happened that took her mind off it, whether it be the chatting with the friendly ghosts over the breakfast table or having tea with Hagrid, James and Albus in his wooden hut. Whenever she _did_ feel lonely or missed her parents and Port Cicely, she made sure to surround herself with people, and of course, her mum, dad and Hugo were only a quick owl away.

It definitely helped of course having her cousins there, but Rose made other friends quickly. She was soon fast friends with Meera and the other Ravenclaw first-year girls in her dorm. At breakfast she sat quite contentedly with her house and after only three days it felt like she had been there forever.

Her timetable was incredibly exciting too; she had never seen such wonderful subjects all in one place before and her quick mind was soon reeling with what she had learnt- Transfiguration! Charms! Astronomy! It was terribly interesting to get to learn such things and even her books could not have prepared her for how exciting they all actually were. Her teachers were all nice too, possibly because they instantly sensed her willingness to learn. The only teacher that she truly found boring though was Professor Binns, who must have been at Hogwarts for about a million years. The archaic ghost was the only teacher who she suspected might have the power to send her to sleep during a lesson.

Most of her subjects were mixed with students from other houses and to her pleasure she had Potions and Herbology with the Gryffindors, which meant she got to sit with Albus and Lorcan, who, with Phillius Longbottom, made up a mischievous trio. Lorcan was indeed as adventurous as she had suspected and Phillius was slightly more cautious. Her cousin fell somewhere in the middle. Nevertheless, the three of them had already indicated their tendencies for finding trouble- much to her Uncle Harry's chagrin they had "accidentally" wandered into a stray patch of venomous tentacula where they had been found swearing loudly at the top of their lungs by Janitor Goyle. He hadn't been interested in excuses and had smugly imparted his first detention of the term as well as deducting ten points each from Gryffindor. It was lucky the three boys had no objection to washing house elves socks.

Rose was positively thriving and wondered if this was how her mother had felt at Hogwarts- she was happy whenever she got out of bed in the mornings and looked forward to the day ahead, wondering what she would learn next and what excitement each lesson would bring.

Scorpius too was starting to relax more at the school and to his amusement, every time he made to enter the Ravenclaw common room he was set a harder and harder riddle by the doorknocker. He found his lessons intriguing and had even taken to heading to the library when he could, to further cram as much extra knowledge of each subject as he could into his brain. He had read all of his books from Flourish and Blotts a ton of times at home of course, his father reminding him that it wouldn't hurt him to be prepared for his lessons, but Hogwarts subjects were just so fascinating that the first-year found he wanted to know more and more. It was so much more interesting than even his father had prepared him for. He found his curiosity about the 'Restricted Section' of the library never-ending too. He wished he had permission to go in there and investigate some of the prohibited texts, but of course he had no way of doing that.

He hadn't made any friends yet however, aside from Lysander with whom he sat with in all the subjects he could and provided an easy companionship. The other boys in his dorm _still _seemed to be giving him a wide-berth which he was growing to be resentful of, though there was nothing to be done about it. He had tried several times to make casual conversation with them but they seemed unwilling to let him into their little group and always cast suspicious eyes on him. The Scamander twin though, was funny and almost as reserved as Scorpius himself, yet in him Scorpius felt he had found something of a kindred spirit. Lysander also seemed to excel in 'Care of Magical Creatures' though it was hardly surprising given whom his father was and that his mother could see thestrals and Nargles, was it?

**HPHPHPHPHP**

Last thing on Thursday afternoon came the lesson that Rose had most been looking forward to all week: Flying Lessons with a rather archaic Madam Hooch who appeared to have taken one-bludger to the head too many whilst refereeing Quidditch matches over the years. Ravenclaw first years took their lessons in flying alongside the Hufflepuffs' and Madam Hooch immediately sensed some student's aptitude and those who had no flying experience. She quickly divvied the class up into two groups according to ability and Rose wasn't startled to see that in hers was one Scorpius Malfoy. It made sense of course that he would probably be a skilled flyer. His own father had been a seeker for Slytherin and quite good, according to her Uncle Harry. "Though not as good as _me_," he had added with a wink and her mum and dad had nodded in agreement. _That _was probably as charitable as the Weasley's would be about the Malfoy's, she thought with amusement.

"If you could stand aside on the grass for just a moment," Madam Hooch bellowed to their group now, looking slightly frazzled, "I want to make sure the other students can get higher than three feet in the air without killing themselves, then you may begin."

Rose watched with interest as the other group, which included Lysander, struggled to get their broomsticks to obey the very simplest of commands and realised how lucky she was that her dad had taught her to fly almost as soon as she was walking. Albus would be the same in his lessons, she knew. Her Aunty Ginny and Uncle Harry were excellent Quidditch players and even little Lily was already super fast on her junior Cleansweep 3000.

She turned around, suddenly sensing someone was watching her. To her surprise, Scorpius Malfoy was stood not two feet behind her. He blinked when her eyes met his and she was startled by the intensity in his gaze.

He had been rather quiet all week, she realised now. In class, he only spoke when he was spoken to, which had not been what she was expecting at all, even though whenever a professor called on him he always knew the answer. He kept himself to himself at mealtimes and had taken to sitting next to Lysander who whilst didn't offer much in the way of conversation, was easy-going. Rose saw them talking sometimes and wondered what two such incredibly different people could have in common. She didn't know _what_ he did during break-times as she never saw him in the quad and in the common room he didn't contribute much to any discussions when he was there, seemingly preferring to curl up with a book rather than play Wizard Chess or Gobstones. That wasn't to say he was rude or anything he was just… aloof, she supposed. Since the night of the sorting, he hadn't spoken a single word to her, not that she had bothered making an effort with _him_ either. She had ignored him actually, much as everyone else in their house had, which she had to admit wasn't a very nice thing to do, was it? She supposed she had been rather rude.

"I heard your uncle was the youngest seeker Hogwarts ever had," Scorpius said almost challengingly, when he sensed her eyes on him.

"That's right," Rose retorted, instantly bristling at the tone in his voice. It was rather accusing. If he was going to speak to her at all, she'd rather he didn't speak to her like _that_!

"And your father was the _worst_ keeper Hogwarts ever had," he added with the patented Malfoy smirk that she had heard so much about. She had known it would happen sooner or later. Really, she wanted to laugh at the notion that a Malfoy and Weasley might have been _friends_, given the history between their parents. She deduced that she had probably been right to ignore him after all.

Rose clenched her fists, her hackles rising. Like so many other traits, she knew she had inherited her father's fiery temper but was unwilling to let Malfoy Junior see how much he had clearly riled her with his acerbic comment. "If he was so bad, why did he make the Cannon's _first_ team after graduation?" she snapped as she faced him, her eyes flashing. He was at least a head taller than she was, clearly he didn't take after his father height-wise even if he did in _rudeness_, but she refused to be intimidated. "_And_ Puddlemere United got into a bidding war for him after the World Cup and—"

Grudging respect showed in the junior Malfoy's grey eyes. "Alright, don't get your wand in a knot, Weasley," he said with an impatient sigh that almost sounded apologetic. "What's your team, anyway?"

She jutted out her chin. "Rose," she said pointedly, "my name is Rose."

He rolled his eyes, "fine. _Rose_," his voice was almost silky as he regarded her, an expression of amusement on his pointed face, "what's your team?"

"The Falcons," she was confused by his reticence; he had sounded almost nice there for a second. Polite. Not like she had expected, particularly given that she hadn't spoken to him for almost a week.

"Falmouth Falcons?" Scorpius looked surprised as he clasped his broom. "Oh."

"Why?" she asked, clearly irritated, "are you going to put down my choice of _team_ now? For your information they're local, _plus_ my father takes me to all their games and we have a season ticket and I know they aren't top of the league but they played really well against the Wasps yesterday evening and—"

"Actually," Scorpius cut in smoothly before he gracefully mounted his broom at a signal from Madam Hooch, "they're _my_ team too. I was going to say that you clearly have better taste than I credited you for. _Rose_…" With those words, he elegantly kicked off into the air and had soared into the sky before a startled Rose could think of anything else to say. She felt rather confused and perplexed all of a sudden, almost as if she had taken a hit to the head with a bludger.

"Don't just stand there Miss Weasley!" barked Madam Hooch, startling her from her reverie; "your mother may have been an unmitigated disaster on a broomstick but I have it on authority from your cousins and father that _you_ are infact rather good."

Quickly, Rose kicked off too, her cheeks flushed a deep pink, and was chagrined to see Scorpius' look of amusement as he hovered overhead. Somehow, that just made matters worse.

**HPHPHP**

"Not bad, Weasley," Scorpius' eyes were almost appraising thirty minutes later as they touched back down onto the soft grass and hopped off their brooms, cheeks both reddened from the latitude and exercise. It was clearly a good idea to structure students by their ability in this class, judging by the squeals and startled yells she heard from the far corner of the field as some of their classmates still struggled to master the very basics of flying. Thankfully, no one had been injured though Lysander had seemingly been distracted and had taken off after a 'curly-tailed ring fly' which no one else had seen and had almost crashed headfirst into a tree in the process.

"Rose," she reminded him of her first name curtly, her red hair wild from the wind as it tumbled freely around her shoulders, escaping from its ribbon.

"_Rose_," Scorpius corrected himself with another smirk as he combed fingers through his tousled white-blonde hair. "Did your dad teach you to fly? He's a quidditch commentator now, isn't he? For WWN? I heard he's got a sponsorship deal for the World Cup and everything. _Plus_ a book deal."

"Yes," she said proudly in answer to both questions as they followed the rest of their chattering classmates back into the school as the bell shrilled, signalling the end of lessons for the day. Both of them heard sighs of relief from those who obviously hadn't taken very well to controlling their brooms.

"Miss Weasley, Mr Malfoy... if I may have a word with you?"

Both students halted as Madam Hooch caught up with them and regarded them intently, her cat-like eyes shining with approval. "That was very good riding today, both of you," she began, "I have a proposition to put to both of you if you are interested."

Rose and Scorpius exchanged glances as the teacher continued; "it is evident that flying is clearly in your genes. I would like you both to try out for the position of the new Ravenclaw seeker."

Rose broke into a smile as Scorpius' brow furrowed. "Really?"

"Try-outs will be on the pitch tomorrow evening," Hooch told them crisply, "be there." She sauntered away leaving both students behind her wearing identical expressions of glee. It was the first time she had seen Scorpius smile genuinely.

"I can't wait to tell my uncle and my dad!" Rose burst out unthinkingly, her brown eyes shining, "he's going to be so proud that—"

"Easy _Rosie_," Scorpius cut in with a smirk, "who's to say _you'll _get the position?"

Rose's eyes narrowed imperceptibly, "I'm faster than you," she pointed out.

"Female logic," Scorpius countered with a dismissive wave he must surely have learned from his father, "it's the dynamics of the broom. The Nimbus 12000 is sleeker than my Firebolt and gives the _illusion_ of greater speed. I'm more skilful than you."

"That's where your father got it wrong too," Rose interjected smugly, "he underestimated speed in favour of agility whenever _he_ played against Gryffindor. I've heard all the stories. My Uncle Harry beat him every single time."

Scorpius pondered the indignant look in the girl's eyes with another sneer. "That sounds like a wager to me, Weasley."

Rose lifted her chin again in a defiant gesture that was becoming increasingly familiar to Scorpius. "What are you suggesting, _Malfoy_?"

Scorpius eyed her appraisingly, "Two galleons says that this time in two days, _I'll_ be the new Ravenclaw seeker, not you."

Rose held out her hand, her eyes sparkling as they shook on the bet. "Oh, you are going _down_ Malfoy. It's a deal!"

**HPHPHPHPHP**


	4. The Owlery

**The ****Owlery- Ch3**

**Disclaimers: **See Chapter One.

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

When Scorpius headed down to breakfast on Friday morning, his eyes quickly sought out Rose as he remembered their wager of the night before. She was sat with Meera and her other friends, chatting amiably to them over bacon and eggs, her blue eyes sparkling. He wondered if she was telling them about their bet and once again, nerves rose in him when he remembered that tonight he would have the chance to try out for the _quidditch team_. He was worried really, much as he had ventured bravado to Rose the previous day. He just hadn't liked her to naturally assume such a position would be _hers_, and as for her being 'faster' than him, well really, that was quite ridiculous! Unwittingly, his natural competitive streak had surfaced and now he found himself worrying over a simple game of quidditch.

He found his way to his own seat next to Lysander, who was already absorbed in his copy of the Quibbler. "Mum owled it to me," he reported between mouthfuls of sugary cereal, "there's been a nasty flobberworm outbreak in Surrey, dad says. He's going to investigate." He pushed the paper over to Scorpius, who read the article with interest.

His mum and dad had owled him, too, he found. There was a rolled up parchment waiting for him by his plate, which he opened eagerly. He had sent his dad a message via his own owl, Thea, two days earlier, informing them that he had been sorted into Ravenclaw. This would surely contain their response, which admittedly he had still been worrying about, despite his fathers swift assurances at the station.

He unrolled the parchment hopefully and read his dad's elegant scrawl with growing relief;

_Scorp, your mother and I are both very proud of you__ and I am delighted you are in Ravenclaw to which I know you are well-suited. I trust you are making friends there and enjoying your studies but don't forget to have fun too._

_Love, mum and dad _

"Alright?" Lysander asked him, his brown eyes concerned. He might have seemed vacant most of the time but even _he_ knew that Scorpius had been concerned over his family's reaction to the unexpected outcome of his sorting.

Scorpius nodded happily as he reached for a piece of toast and liberally slathered it in pumpkin jam; "yeah. It is now."

**HPHPHPHP**

Lessons that day flew by as always and provided enough welcome distraction so that Scorpius barely even _thought_ about quidditch try-outs much to his relief. The only person who knew he was trying out at all was Lysander and that was exactly the way he wanted to keep it. He managed to levitate a feather in charms and to his relief found it easy to transfigure a mouse into a teacup in transfiguration. Rose too, managed both effortlessly, which wasn't surprising. His own father had grudgingly told him that Rose's mother was the brightest witch of her age and Scorpius suspected that Rose would be just as intelligent.

Soon enough though, came the time for Scorpius to head to the quidditch pitch. "I can come with you if you want," Lysander offered, peering over the top of his library book from where he was thoroughly absorbed in a chapter about grindylows.

"That's ok," Scorpius said with a wan smile, not particularly wanting an audience or to take him away from his studies, "I'm nervous enough as it is. I'm pretty sure that I'm about to lose some galleons, my stomach's in knots!"

"Good luck," Lysander commiserated, burying his head in his book once more.

Scorpius quickly headed to the pitch where he was met by Madam Hooch and the other members of the Ravenclaw team, mostly third, fourth and fifth years, though one of their chasers was a wiry second year. All greeted him slightly suspiciously and Scorpius flinched inwardly. His name obviously preceded anything else and again he knew he would have to prove himself if their dark looks were anything to go by. He hated seeing so many people eyeing him with expressions of distrust. It just wasn't fair!

Rose was there too, clutching her broom and looking a little pale beneath her freckles. After they had both changed into the dark blue Ravenclaw quidditch robes, Madam Hooch gave her instructions. The members of the house team would be divided into two smaller teams and a mini game would commence in which both he and Rose would play rival seeker. In this game there was no obvious need for a keeper as the issue wasn't to score and chasers weren't really needed either. Instead, beaters would be used to keep away the bludgers and the goalkeeper and the usual chasers would do their best to distract the seekers to see how good they were at dodging and avoiding their opponents.

Adrenaline flooded Scorpius, along with nerves. "Good luck," he ventured to Rose as they clambered on their brooms.

She met his grey eyes almost suspiciously, but then nodded. "You too," she said solemnly, before kicking off into the air.

He followed suit. The two of them hovered as the bludger and snitch were released (the quaffle remained behind in the box and protested vehemently as Madam Hooch shut the lid on it again) and they eyed it expectantly as it careened away.

Pretty soon a fast and furious game of semi-quidditch was under way and Scorpius found that any feelings of nerves were soon displaced by the excitement flooding through his veins as he ducked and soared away from those players chasing him whilst keeping an eye out for the golden snitch. At the other end of the field he noticed Rose was in a similar predicament, whilst Madam Hooch watched them both speculatively from her own broom.

He was so busy watching out for rogue bludgers and his opponents that he had no time to feel a sense of competitiveness- using manoeuvres he hadn't bothered with in a long time simply because the game was so intense- until he caught sight of the _snitch_ that was. It was hovering right behind Rose across the pitch and with a sense of jubilation Scorpius kicked his broom and zoomed after it, using a patented burst of speed his father had taught him.

Rose realised he had seen the snitch and bit back her annoyance that _he'd_ spotted it first as she feigned to the left to avoid a bludger and then soared upwards, following Scorpius. He just had the edge on her- only just. Rose was determined that she'd catch it first and reached out her hand.

The snitch was tricky however and zipped away from them both. She heard Scorpius mutter his annoyance as he sailed after it and for a moment was impressed by how effortlessly he flew. He was much faster than he'd been during class _that_ was for certain. He ducked as another bludger came his way, causing Rose to unexpectedly hold her breath- phew, that had been close.

The snitch, to both their chagrins suddenly soared downwards, plummeting like a stone. Rose screeched her broom to a halt whilst Scorpius did quite the opposite. He let his broom just drop so it was almost vertical and gripped it tightly with his knees. Irritated _she_ hadn't been able to do the same, Rose averted her broom and flew downwards too, but she was too late.

Dizzily as she gained on him, she watched Scorpius reach out and snatch the snitch, a purely joyful expression crossing his face as he stopped his broom dead so it was hovering almost at ground level. He held up his arm as he hopped off his broom as Rose jumped off her own and onto the soft grass, dismayed.

"Good work, Mr Malfoy," Hooch said with a warm smile, "and you too Miss Weasley. You both played excellently tonight..." The other Ravenclaw players eyed both he and Rose speculatively and whispered amongst themselves with interest. Rose noticed that whereas before, some of the Ravenclaws' had eyed Malfoy dubiously, they were now looking at him almost _admiringly_. Her heart sank and she knew even before she heard it, that Madam Hooch was giving the position of Ravenclaw seeker to Scorpius.

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

"You both played excellently tonight," Madam Hooch concluded sincerely, "...however, I would like to offer Scorpius the position of seeker."

To Scorpius' nervous pleasure, he received a round of applause and one that sounded a lot more genuine than that on the night of the sorting. He was unable to prevent the smile from creeping across his face as Adam Flynn, the burly team captain, shook his hand and congratulated him.

"You're a bloody good player," he said, "especially for a first year, well done."

"Thanks," Scorpius said, his eyes sparkling. He glanced over at Rose and much as she wore a smile on her face, he could see the disappointment burning in her blue eyes; though to her credit she didn't voice her dismay out loud. His smile faded, she'd been good too. Especially at dodging the bludgers. It was a shame only one of them could make it. She looked up at him then, "congratulations," she told him woodenly, and graciously held out a hand, which he shook, feeling guilty all of a sudden.

"You were really good up there," he ventured quietly, tugging at the blue robes, his expression awkward.

That same false smile was on her face, "obviously not good enough…" she said mildly.

When Hooch dismissed them he remained behind with his new team mates on the pitch and as they chattered to him excitedly about strategies, wronski feints and their upcoming match against Slytherin, he found himself feeling genuinely accepted by someone _other_ than Lysander for the first time since he'd arrived at Hogwarts. Still, as he watched Rose trudge miserably up to the changing rooms, dragging her broom behind her, he got the feeling that _she_ was someone who would never accept him at all and for some reason that bothered him though he couldn't quite think why.

Rose changed out of her quidditch robes with a dismal sigh, fingering the blue and bronze fabric, emblazoned with the eagle. Unless she got into the team next year, which she highly doubted, this would be the only time she got to wear her house colours playing quidditch. She walked back into the school and into the girl's dorms after quickly answering the riddle. Meera was waiting for her expectantly.

"Well?!" she said excitedly, almost hopping up and down on her bed. One look at Rose's sad face and she knew. "Oh Rose, I'm sorry."

"Malfoy was bloody brilliant," Rose said, a lump in her throat as she dropped her broomstick miserably, "he knew a ton of manoeuvres that I've never heard of _and_ he was faster than me."

"What a show-off," Meera said comfortingly, her dark eyes glinting with sympathy.

Rose thought to herself; actually, if she was honest, he hadn't even been trying to show off; it had just seemed to come naturally to him. She suspected in a few years he would probably be as good as her uncle Harry and certainly his reflexes had been almost as good as her dads. Not that she would tell _him_ that though. "I suppose," she answered Meera, absently.

"Come on, let's go and play Gobstones," Meera tried to pull her out of her bad mood, "or Lucy Oxley's got the newest issue of Witch Weekly we can look at—"

"I'm ok," Rose managed a smile, "I think I'm just going to go and owl my mum and dad. Albus said I could borrow Hestia if I needed to."

Meera squeezed her shoulder as she left the dorm. "Ok, but don't feel too down. See you later."

Rose quickly wrote out a parchment to her mum and dad, almost slashing the paper with the sharpened quill, and then flung herself on her bed, dejectedly. She'd thought for sure that she'd be the new Ravenclaw seeker- how humiliating that she'd been beaten by a Malfoy!

Half an hour later she was climbing up the crumbling stone steps to the Owlery. The view cast over the valley was beautiful tonight as a rich golden sunset sank into the lake, but for some reason the picturesque scene made her feel more upset than anything. She'd so wanted to be the new seeker!

Hestia hooted as she made her way over to her, gently nipping her fingers by way of greeting as she shifted on her perch.

"Hello Hestia," Rose said with a smile, "I bet you want some exercise, don't you?"

The owl blinked up at her and flapped its wings and Rose felt marginally better. "Go and give this to my mum and dad, please," she hooked the note into Hestia's talons and gave her an owl treat which she gobbled up eagerly. She lightly pecked Rose's thumb by way of response and then soared gracefully out of the arched window and into the air. Rose watched her until she was a tiny speck in the orange clouds, sighing. It wasn't fair, was it?

_No_, she corrected herself. Scorpius was _better_ than her; it was as simple as that, she just had to keep reminding herself that clearly the best seeker had won, much as it pained her. She had just so looked forward to being able to owl her dad all about quidditch games at Hogwarts and how she'd caught the snitch and won the game, just like Uncle Harry's glory days on the pitch, now she wouldn't be able to do any of that.

At the sound of footsteps behind her, she turned. Scorpius was stood in the doorway and looked surprised to see her there. He was carrying a rolled up parchment in _his_ hand too. Probably an owl to his parents, she thought, trying to fight back her resentment.

"Hello," he said quietly, averting his grey eyes uncomfortably.

"Hi," Rose watched as he went to one of the perches and stroked the feathers of a beautiful tawny owl.

"This is Thea," he said, catching her eye.

"She's beautiful," Rose said honestly. Trust _him_ to have some kind of pedigree owl that made the others around it look almost haggard.

"You have a kneazle, don't you?" he asked her with sudden interest.

"Yes," said Rose defensively, "well, part-kneazle. So?"

He looked startled at her visible irritation, "I just meant that they're quite unusual, that's all and generally quite aggressive with most people. My dad told me your mum had one when she was here, too."

Rose lowered her eyes guiltily, instantly feeling bad for snapping at him and wondering how he managed to illicit such stormy emotions in her. She didn't get this arguementative or feisty around anyone else, that she knew for a fact. "Yes, that's right."

Scorpius sighed inwardly, sensing her distaste at what he had said. He somehow took it as given now that _whatever_ he said around Rose Weasley would unfortunately be the wrong thing. He supposed he'd better start getting used to it.

As she turned to leave, Scorpius had a sudden flash of inspiration however. "I um... I don't suppose…"

She turned back around, curiously, looking almost wary.

"I mean, if you wanted to... well, we could play quidditch sometimes?" he said, his eyes searching hers, "together?"

Rose's blue eyes narrowed and he rushed on. "I mean, you're a really good player even if you _are_ a girl and—"

Rose cut him off abruptly, "I don't think so. Just so you can rub my nose in it that you made the team and I didn't?"

Scorpius felt himself growing angry at her quick assumption; "that's _not _what I meant, Weasley."

"Of course not, _Malfoy_." Sarcasm dripped from her voice.

"I just thought that—maybe you could help _me_," he ventured, trying to reign in his temper which he suspected was unfortunately as hot as hers, "some of your moves up there were really good, like when you managed to dodge to bludger and—"

She cut him off again. He was beginning to sense a pattern here. "You don't _need_ my help. You already made the team with all your fancy moves and bloody Wronski feints..."

"But—"

"…And to tell you the truth," Rose finished, her face turning red, "I think it's really awful of you to try and humiliate me by even asking!" with those words, she stormed out of the Owlery with her head held high, leaving Scorpius gazing after her in confusion and anger.

Merlin, that_ wasn't_ what he had meant at all.

**HPHPHPHPHP**

On Saturday morning at breakfast Scorpius was reading Lysander's copy of the Quibbler, a daily pattern he seemed to have fallen into. He was rather absorbed in an amusing article about the possibility of ice-cream being used as Doxy bite antidote and Lysander was daydreaming as usual as he ate his sugary cereal, when a shadow fell over him. He looked up to see Rose Weasley stood there.

"Hello," he said hesitantly, wondering if she was still cross with him about their misunderstanding in The Owlery. He had his answer when she held out a drawstring bag towards him, her eyes narrowed. Clearly she was still in a fiery frame of mind and disappointment instantly flooded him.

"This is _yours_ I believe," she said firmly, tilting her chin.

The galleons from the bet. Scorpius wished he'd never made such a stupid bet and could have hexed himself three ways to Sunday for even _starting_ it when it was clear how upset she already was on losing out on the seeker position. Hindsight was a wonderful thing; though at the back of his mind he did wonder how it would have been should _she_ have won the position and not him. Still, there was no use on dwelling on that now.

"I don't want your money," he told her quietly as he set his paper aside, trying to ignore the speculative look from Lysander.

Her eyes were challenging; "it's quite alright, Malfoy. I can afford it you know. We Weasley's aren't so _poor_ these days." Her voice was sarcastic again and it riled him immediately.

"That's not what I meant," he felt the irritation bubbling in him, "look, forget the _bet _alright? It was just a silly wager."

To his annoyance, Rose set the velvet bag of galleons on the table and regarded him incredulously, her hands on her hips. "_That's_ all the seeker position was to you? 'A silly wager?' It may have escaped your notice, but I really wanted to be on the team, Malfoy!"

"_So did I_!" Scorpius retorted, beyond frustrated now, "I just meant that the bet wasn't important and—"

To his chagrin, Rose had already walked off, leaving the bag behind her. Scorpius wondered if the hot-headed, stubborn girl _ever_ listened to a word he said. He suspected not.

Lysander had been watching the scene with interest, unusually pulled from his daydreams. "She really doesn't like you very much, does she?" he said with amusement in what might have been the understatement of the year.

"No," Scorpius said gloomily as he watched her rejoin her friends at the other end of the table, her eyes flashing in annoyance as they _all_ darted him dark looks, "but to tell you the truth, I don't like _her _very much, either."

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**


	5. Ravenclaw Vs Slytherin

**Ravenclaw Vs Slytherin****-Ch4**

**Disclaimers: **In Ch1.

* * *

Quidditch practices took up a lot of Scorpius' time over the next few weeks. Between that and school work and all the extra reading that he was doing outside his classes, he barely had time to think about the fact that Rose Weasley seemed to hate him. He was feeling better though in the sense that some others in his house seemed to have lost their initial reluctance to talk to him. They had been curious about his position on the quidditch team at first, asking eager questions, but now the other Ravenclaws seemed to have accepted him as one of them more than they had initially. Not entirely accepted however, he knew the real test would be in the outcome of his first quidditch match and he was determined more than anything to win, he still felt he had a lot to prove to his peers. Needless to say, it _was_ nice that the other first-year boys spoke to him at the table in the great hall, and in the common room asked if he wanted to play wizard chess or exploding snap with them. The older boys offered him advice on quidditch plays and asked him interested questions about his family though it always pained Scorpius that the most common from them always seemed to be; "was your dad _really_ a death eater?"

"No, just my grandfather," he usually replied mildly, before burying his head in a book once more so they couldn't see his expression, or making feeble excuses and departing to the library. Those questions still had the power to hurt him.

The first Quidditch match against Slytherin was actually causing him sleepless nights however and he was considering asking Madam Pomfrey for a very mild sleeping draught if the insomnia continued. It hadn't been helped by an owl he had received from his father, who was currently on Ministry of Magic business in Switzerland with his healer mother. Draco Malfoy was a member of senior personnel in the Improper Use of Magic Office, which he always said was ironic in itself, though Scorpius was very proud of him.

_Scorp,_

_Whilst your mother and I are beyond proud that you have made the house quidditch team in your first year, we implore you to be careful in your first match against Slytherin. Be aware that they may be unduly unfair with you purely because of who you are. I know what I am talking about from experience! Please be careful and I regret that we cannot be there due to work, but I promise I will make your next game. Good luck and I know you'll make us both proud._

_Love dad_

He had set the owl he had received at breakfast down with a heavy sigh. The worst thing was, he knew his father was right about people being 'unfair' to him. He had already endured some shoving and idle sneering in the corridors between classes, from members of the other house who had seemed to have it in for him _before_ he had even made the team of course. The first-year Slytherin boys who he happened to have the misfortune of sharing classes with (charms and care of magical creatures) were also taking bets on how long it would be before _Slytherin_ got the snitch or even worse, how long it would be before Scorpius was shoved off his broom by the Slytherin seeker who was renowned as being remarkably devious with a real mean streak.

Whilst Scorpius tried to act like the taunts and malicious comments didn't bother him, truth be told he was feeling lonelier than ever. Ever since the whole bet with Rose, she had proceeded in completely ignoring him and he wished that he hadn't been such a prat over the whole business, even though he _did_ think her jealousy was rather immature. She scarcely looked at him and when she did; her blue eyes seemed to bore through him. He could understand she was upset about losing out as seeker and presumably angry with him for starting the little bet, but _he _was angry too- he had done his best that was all. It wasn't his fault he was good at quidditch, was it?

The one aspect of Hogwarts that he was really enjoying, even more than quidditch, was his lessons and not just because they took his mind off everything else. To his bemusement, Professor Steggles had taken him to one side after Astronomy one day and had asked him to join the Astronomy club, and he was now deeply absorbed in the texts and was getting through them fast. He also found that Potions, whilst taxing and somewhat confusing, really enticed him to think about properties of plants and the various other ingredients. Transfigurations too, was mind-blowing. To think that one small spell could alter the components and particles of any given object was just so cool.

He was so engrossed in thinking about his studies one day as he left the library that he didn't even notice the second year student he accidentally bumped into, who was loitering near one of the alcoves.

"Oh, I'm sorry—" Scorpius faltered politely. He then winced when he saw that the student was a Slytherin. Sure enough, it didn't take long for the petty remarks to start.

"Oy, Malfoy… our house not good enough for you then?" the stout boy asked, his expression sneering as he looked the other student up and down, a nasty glare on his stoat-like face.

"I'm happy where I was sorted," Scorpius replied truthfully, not wanting to voice what he _really_ thought, though wishing Lysander was with him so this would be two against one. He really wasn't good with confrontations.

"I can't _wait_ until the match," the student said curtly, jabbing a finger into Scorpius' shoulder, "you're going to look a real idiot out there Malfoy, just like your death-eater father."

Scorpius' grey eyes flashed as he took a step backwards, wishing he could hex this boy into a toad. He knew the spell, though of course he would be expelled if he used it. "Don't you DARE talk about my father like that! He wasn't a death-eater--"

"No, just a traitor," sneered the boy, his lips curling upwards meanly. "Just like you."

Scorpius took a deep breath, aware that he wasn't feeling as in control as he would like to be and that his face felt very hot all of a sudden. "I'm not a traitor."

The Slytherin eyed him with scorn, "you're the only Malfoy to not get put in Slytherin for decades, far as I see it, that doesn't just make you a traitor to _us_, but to your family as well."

"My dad's _happy_ that I was sorted into Ravenclaw," Scorpius burst out, uncomfortably noticing that his stomach was in knots at this altercation. People thought he was a traitor? He wasn't!

A movement in the corridor made him look up then and he saw, to his dismay, that Rose Weasley was standing there, right behind him, arms full of books as usual, and eyeing the two students with an arched brow and a look of abject concern on her face. Merlin, how much had she heard? She'd think him _pathetic _that he couldn't stand up for himself against an obnoxious Slytherin- he _was_ supposed to be a Malfoy after all.

Scorpius took a sudden deep breath and remembered how he'd seen his father act when he was giving a presentation to his colleagues at the Ministry. He stood taller and squared his shoulders, projecting an air of confidence that he hoped looked effortless.

"I am _not_ a traitor," he addressed the Slytherin directly; his voice was strong and haughty, though he was shaking like the whomping willow on the inside.

"I can't wait until you lose the match," the Slytherin spat as he grabbed at Scorpius' robes, "then you'll go crawling back to daddy… you pathetic excuse for a pureblood!"

Scorpius felt his face pale now as he yanked his robes away; "don't you _dare_ bring heritage into this, you obnoxious little snot," he said fiercely, seething now despite himself, "and don't you _touch_ me either. I'll wipe the floor with you. I can't wait until the match either, because then you'll see what a real seeker can do!"

With those words, he turned and stalked off to Ravenclaw tower, robes swirling behind him, eyes narrowed. He didn't even look at Rose, who was gaping after him in bewilderment. He was fuming so much that sparks were practically shooting from his eyes.

The Slytherin snickered as he strode off in the other direction, obviously wanting to crow to his classmates about getting one-up on Scorpius Malfoy.

Rose was shell-shocked as she sank into the window-seat of the alcove, regaining her composure. _What in the world was that about? I never thought I'd hear a _Malfoy_ dismissing the concept of heritage like that! _

She thought hard as she finally headed into the dusty library, thinking over what she had just seen happening in the alcove. She'd had no idea that Malfoy had been coming under fire from the Slytherins, though it _was_ hardly surprising. What _did_ astonish her though, was his initial uncertainty in the argument, until he had seen her stood there that was. Once he had realised he had an audience, he had summoned the familiar Malfoy arrogance and disdain she had heard so much about and _acted_ tough and confident, rather like he had in their first flying lesson she realised now. For the first time since she had met him, Rose knew that's what it was- an act. Deep down maybe Scorpius Malfoy had the same insecurities as anyone else.

**HPHPHPHP**

Scorpius' knees were shaking four days later as he pulled on his blue robes in the Ravenclaw changing rooms. He was nervous. Beyond nervous actually. He was almost hyperventilating.

"You alright, Scorp?" Flynn asked him kindly as he sat beside him on the wooden bench.

Scorpius nodded and pressed his trembling hands between his knees, trying to stop them jumping. He was sweating already and the game hadn't even started.

"You'll be fine," Flynn said assuringly as the rest of the team crowded around; "don't let those Slytherin tossers bother you, ok? We know you'll do brilliant out there."

The two burly beaters grinned and the other players nodded in affirmation and Scorpius smiled weakly, feeling marginally better. His team mates were actually alright as it happened. He didn't spend any time with them out of practices as they were older than he was, but at least they spoke to him and he'd learned a lot of new manoeuvres from the chasers, and Ryan Sullivan the keeper, had been working with him on his reflexes which now felt honed and super sharp. He knew that he was as well prepared as he could be, providing he could get past his nerves which right now seemed to be on overdrive.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle then, the signal for the teams to leave the changing rooms and get to the pitch. As they waited under the stands, Scorpius swallowed hard, suddenly flooded with adrenaline. He tried his hardest to ignore the little sneers and taunts that came from the opposing team who looked particularly menacing in their green robes and who seemed to be doing their very best to psyche him out. His own team actually crowded around him as if for protection and he cast them grateful looks.

Tom Wilcox, a fourth year Gryffindor, was commentating the game and it was clear he was revelling in the attention, and as Hooch blew her whistle again and they flew out of the stands, his voice could be heard loud and clear, echoing around the pitch.

"The first quidditch game of the season and _what_ a line-up… Ravenclaw versus Slytherin!" This was met by resounding cheers and boos. Scorpius gulped as he flew upwards, not looking in the directions of the stands and concentrating only on the excited faces of his team mates.

"Teams haven't changed much from last year and the form of the players is looking excellent on both parts and flying conditions today look _spectacular_ so this looks to be a great match. We do have a new addition for Ravenclaw this term however- seeker Scorpius Malfoy!"

Scorpius turned pale at the audible booing hurled at him from the Slytherin stand. His team mates tried to make up for it however by cheering loudly and he was _sure_ he heard some cheers from the Ravenclaw stand too, but it appeared to be mostly drowned out by jeers. His stomach dropped and he felt like he'd been punched in the solar plexus.

"Ignore it," Sullivan mouthed at him from where he was hovering near the huge hoops.

Scorpius nodded grimly. His palms felt sweaty inside his gloves and he had to clench extra tightly to his broom.

"This had better be a _fair _game," Hooch was saying warningly to Flynn and the massive Slytherin captain who were glaring menacingly at each other.

"Yeah," came a little sneer from near Scorpius' elbow, "you'd better play _fair_, Malfoy, we don't want any accidents now, do we?"

The Slytherin seeker was hovering right beside him, a nasty expression on his face. Scorpius balked but had no time to respond as the game was suddenly under way.

He kept an instant eye out for the snitch, which had zipped away so fast he'd had no chance to even notice its general direction. Combined with the bright sunlight, Scorpius struggled at first, trying to keep an eye out for the glittering golden object as well as a close eye on the frantic game being played out below. He beamed when the quaffle was put through the Slytherin hoops and Ravenclaw quickly took the lead, and when it happened again... and again successively. They were thirty points up already and Scorpius' nerves began to dissipate as he flew downwards, keeping an eye out for flashing gold glinting in sunlight. He wanted to win this game so badly he could almost taste it.

Wilcox was going _crazy_ in his commentary box but grew angry at the Slytherin beaters trying to jostle one of the Ravenclaw chasers off his broom. It was clear he wasn't possibly as objective as he should be. Then again, this _was_ Slytherin after all.

"_Foul!_" Wilcox yelled indignantly, his voice reverberating through the stands as the beaters shoved the chaser again and the Slytherin keeper joined in, smirking menacingly; "Bloody Slytherins—" he was cut off by a sharp look from McGonagall who was sitting nearby, "I mean... oh never mind! FOUL!"

Madam Hooch whistled sharply and exchanged harsh words with the Slytherin keeper who scowled as he flew back to the hoops, glaring mutinously at Flynn who was making rather lewd hand gestures at him.

It was a rough and exciting game and in the Ravenclaw stands, surrounded by the other first-years, Rose found herself hoping that no one would get hurt, though thankfully aside from a few knocks and dirty looks, the players seemed to escape unscathed from any serious injuries.

Until Scorpius saw the snitch that was.

"Malfoy is on the snitch!" Wilcox bellowed excitedly.

Rose held her breath as he zoomed after it, sunlight glinting off his blond hair. His eyes were narrowed in an expression of intense concentration. The Slytherin seeker, Sebastian Corben, raced after it too, looking peeved, though he was nowhere near as quick as Scorpius.

"Gosh, he's fast!" Lysander exclaimed from beside her, his eye on the game with interest, gone was his usual absent expression as he waved his scarf cheerfully in encouragement of his friend.

"Yes," Rose agreed, realising that Madam Hooch had _definitely_ chosen the right person for the team, much as it pained her to admit it. There was no way that _she_ would have reacted that fast, she was sure.

Scorpius was indeed rapidly gaining on the snitch, which suddenly faked a flash to the right. Corben was fooled and darted his broom in the opposite direction, but Scorpius held fast and soared upwards, his hand extended.

The Ravenclaw stands were going mad- waving their scarves and yelling themselves hoarse. They weren't the only excited house, even the Hufflepuff's and Gryffindors were screaming for Scorpius to catch the snitch now and beat the Slytherins. In the Gryffindor stand Rose could see that Albus, Phillius and Lorcan were cheering and jumping up and down wildly.

He caught it! His gloved fingers closed around the snitch as he jerked his broom to an instant halt and held up his hand to show Madam Hooch, who blew her whistle signalling the end of a thrilling game.

"Malfoy has the snitch!" Wilcox was screaming triumphantly as the stands exploded in shouts of glee, "Scorpius Malfoy has the snitch! Ravenclaw win- 180-40! Bad luck, Slytherin…"

The Ravenclaw students were elated, clapping and calling Scorpius' name. Rose found herself clapping too. On his broom, Scorpius ducked his head as his team mates whistled and flew their brooms upwards to join him, united in victory.

The Slytherin team looked furious and as the remaining bludger flew towards him, beater Cornelius Parsons lashed out angrily with his wooden bat and sent the ball hurtling upwards.

Rose involuntarily clutched Meera's arm as the bludger spiralled towards the Ravenclaw team, sensing what was about to happen. "Look out!" she heard Flynn holler as he himself spun around on his broom, narrowly missing get hid in the head. The chasers squeaked and darted out of the way, one almost falling off her broom and only just managing to straighten up again. It was clear where the bludger was headed however and Scorpius' eyes widened as he tried to get out of the way. The bludger had gained momentum however and was speeding towards him much too fast for him to react. The bludger smashed into his shoulder, unbalancing him. With a grimace of pain as he instinctively raised a hand to his injured shoulder, his broom wobbled and he slipped forwards, his grey eyes panicked as he was unseated.

With desperate hands he clenched at his broom handle, but to no avail. He knew he was going to fall.

**HPHPHPHPHP**

Rose watched in horror as Scorpius tumbled from his broom. The stands hushed and the Ravenclaws gazed in appalled silence as their new star player dropped thirty feet to the dusty ground below, where he landed with a sickening thump, his head bouncing instantly as it met with terra firma.

There was nothing _anyone_ could have done, even Madam Hooch was too far away to intervene and stop the bludger by magic, though she zoomed immediately over to Scorpius as did the entire team, looking shaky.

Even from up here, Rose could see that Scorpius' eyes were closed after his head had impacted on the ground. She heard the sharp intake of breath from Lysander and her own stomach churned at the realisation that he had been hurt, though how badly no one knew. Madam Pomfrey raced out onto the pitch, aided by Hagrid who was carrying a stretcher, as students craned their necks to see what was going on. The unmoving unconscious boy was immediately levitated on stretcher into the school.

McGonagall meanwhile was screaming at the Slytherin beater who had inadvertently caused the injury and much as he protested it was an _accident_, being a Slytherin, Rose knew there would be those that doubted him- especially given the terse reception Scorpius had endured from the opposing house upon entering the game and even beforehand.

The stands were cleared of the students who filed back into the school solemnly; Lysander however went straight to the medical wing to check on his friend. All around her Rose could hear snippets of conversation as she walked, her shoulder slumped;

"—bloody brilliant! Have you ever seen _anyone _fly that fast?—"

"--never thought a _Malfoy_ could play like that—"

"—d'you think he's ok?—"

She miserably followed Meera back to the Ravenclaw common rooms, feeling terrible that she had been so horrible to Scorpius lately, especially when she'd known he was already having a hard enough time of it from the Slytherins as it was. She'd give anything to take back her silly tantrums and irrational jealousy of late. Scorpius was _born_ to be a seeker, anyone could see that. She'd been so thick! Not to mention horrible to him.

The knocker must have been informed of what had happened, for he let the students into Ravenclaw Tower without posing one of his usual riddles. The atmosphere in the common room was subdued. The older students spoke in hushed tones and the first years sat miserably by the fire, not even engaging in any games or reading. When supper came around they headed into the Great Hall, concerned to see neither Lysander nor Scorpius in their usual seats. Madam Pomfrey wasn't there either and McGonagall gravely said she had no information on his condition, other than he was still unconscious.

Rose was feeling worse and worse. The other Ravenclaw quidditch players knew nothing either and just picked idly at their food. The triumph of winning the highly important game had been overshadowed by Scorpius' unfortunate injury and they felt that until they knew his condition, they had nothing to celebrate, much as they were cheered by both Hufflepuff and Gryffindor for their victory, in a show of inter-house unity.

The Ravenclaws had prep to do that night and gathered in the library under the watchful eye of their head of house, the tiny and slightly cantankerous Professor Flitwick, who hadn't been told anything either and seemed just as concerned as everyone else about Scorpius. They all looked up with bated breath twenty minutes later as the door was pushed open and Lysander entered the room.

He quickly handed Flitwick a note and apologised for his lateness as he made his way to the large wooden table. The Ravenclaws watched him in silence, their expressions hopeful. Lysander seemed as vacant as ever though and he'd unpacked his Charms books, parchment and quills before he actually realised everyone was looking at him. "What?" he asked, bewildered as he sat down in his chair.

"How's Scorpius?" Rose asked, breaking the silence, as those around her tensed in preparation of bad news. Some players who'd taken a blow from a bludger were unconscious for weeks at a time and sometimes injuries were so bad that players were out for a whole season.

Lysander arched a brow at her, "he'll live," he told her mildly as those around the table exchanged pleased smiles. He may as well have added; _"not that __you__ care,"_ as the tone in his voice implied she clearly _didn't_ as he looked at Rose, his brown eyes speculative.

Rose flushed, "he was good today," she found herself saying weakly. "Brilliant actually."

"Yes, he was," Lysander agreed, his expression softening.

Rose turned away, her stomach lurching as she glanced back down at her prep.

"Rose," Lysander said somewhat kindly and she turned back to look at him, "he has concussion from where he hit the floor and he's dislocated his shoulder. Other than that, Madam Pomfrey thinks he'll be fine. Probably just a little achy for a while. She's given him some pain-relieving potions from the infirmary and he's sleeping at the moment."

Rose let her breath out in a little whoosh, surprised at how pleased she felt that Scorpius was indeed ok. "Good," she said simply.

"He'll be out of the medical wing tomorrow," Lysander added before turning back to his parchment. Rose nodded in visible relief, suddenly feeling much better.

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **Thanks to those who've taken the time to review this story and have it on alert. Just as a note to everyone after something that was said in one of the reviews (thanks Honda!): Scorpius and Rose DO grow up in my story- the first several chapters are mainly to build up their characters and those around them, establish relationships and such. Don't worry- they won't stay eleven forever! That would be weird! :) As the story progresses it will concentrate on the latter years at Hogwarts and on them as adults, so I hope you all keep reading.


	6. A standing ovation

**A standing ovation- Ch5**

**Disclaimer: **See Ch1.

* * *

Scorpius was released from the medical wing the next day and walked down to the Great Hall, late for breakfast after making a detour to the Ravenclaw dorms to get washed and changed from the still muddy quidditch robes he'd been forced to put back on. His head was still a bit fuzzy from where the bludger had clipped him, not to mention bruised, and his arm was in a sling, binding his aching shoulder to him tightly. Madam Pomfrey had given him some potion for his sore muscles, but all in all he was still feeling a little worse for wear. He hadn't slept very well either- it was hard finding a comfortable position to sleep in with his arm pinned to his body, even though the tension of the match had finally ebbed away and he felt he could honestly sleep for days now.

Lysander had sat with him for a few hours in the medical wing the day before and had told him that everyone in Ravenclaw had been worried about him. Scorpius wasn't entirely sure if _that_ was true or not even if people had been a bit nicer to him recently. His father had owled him late last night too, frantic with worry and on the verge of heading straight back to Hogwarts. He and Astoria had said they would apparate _immediately_ back from Switzerland until Scorpius had protested and said he was fine, just a little bit bruised, and that it honestly _had_ been an accident, even if it had only happened because Slytherin's were "poor losers." A clearly reluctant Draco Malfoy had finally accepted his son's version of events and had nevertheless been very proud that he had caught the snitch in his first match.

As he walked down the corridors from Ravenclaw Tower now, he heard a mischevious cackle coming from overhead and when he looked up, Peeves the poltergeist was floating directly above him. Peeves had a nasty habit of sneaking up on students at the most inopportune of times, usually when Scorpius was brooding for one. Scorpius sighed heavily, really not in the mood for the spirit's dramatics today of all days.

"Scorpius Malfoy!" the poltergeist screeched, voice full of mirth. "Nasty bump to the head you took yesterday by all accounts- I bet it's made you doolally!" He laughed manically and twirled upside down, hanging right in front of Scorpius' face as he walked, pulling garish faces at him. "Doolally Malfoy! Doolally Malfoy! Hahahahaha!"

"Do go away, Peeves," Scorpius snapped, irritated and trying his best to ignore the revolting facial expressions, which was hard given that Peeves was floating barely two inches from his nose. "Even if I _did_ take a bump to my head, I'm still bloody saner than you any day. You're a _fine_ one to be talking about going doolally! In fact, you look like the poster-child for the criminally insane in that outfit!"

Peeves gazed down at his garishly striped tweed suit and purple and orange polka dot tie, looking wounded, as he straightened his yellow bowler hat on the top of his head. "What's wrong with my outfit?" he protested, offended.

Scorpius rolled his eyes; "if you don't know already, then you're even crazier than I thought," was all he said.

With a sulky huff and a loudly blown raspberry, Peeves soared away, clearly unable to think of a malevolent retort of his own for once. Scorpius smiled, feeling slightly better to have got one up on the poltergeist who liked to torment the students incessantly, though he knew he'd probably take a water balloon or a waste paper basket to the head later on by way of retribution.

Scorpius finally reached the Great Hall and pushed open the huge oak doors, wincing at the sudden shooting pain in his shoulder but stopped short, instantly feeling hundreds of pairs of eyes on him. The usual din in the hall stilled when people saw him stood there alone in the doorway. Students paused in the act of putting marmalade on their toast and reaching for their cereal as _everyone_ looked in his direction, even the teachers on the staff table, with interest.

He flushed uncomfortably at so much attention on him all of a sudden and then lifted his head, trying to appear aloof and that he was _fine _with so much scrutiny, even though it felt rather like his knees were shaking. The immense hush in such a massive echoey hall was rather scary and even his footsteps seemed unnaturally loud as he walked quickly towards the Ravenclaw table.

He wasn't _sure_ who started it; all he knew was that the clapping and cheering began at the Ravenclaw table first and then spread through the hall in earnest. Even the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were clapping, earning them dark looks from the Slytherin contingency who kept their arms pointedly folded. The sense of rivalry between houses was still evident.

The other students were giving Scorpius a _standing ovation_. His grey eyes widened and he stopped short again where he stood, startled as he looked around him, unsure of how to take it and if people were actually serious or not. In his mind was the way people had been treating him since he'd arrived at Hogwarts and the idea that the applause was actually some kind of cruel joke was unfortunately first in the forefront of his brain.

Flynn, the Ravenclaw captain, was beaming at him and beckoning him over. Uncertainly, Scorpius started walking again. "You were bloody brilliant yesterday," Flynn declared sincerely above the clapping. "I'm glad you're on the team Scorpius and I'm sorry we were so bloody tough on you to begin with."

Scorpius, _not_ Malfoy. He found a small smile tugging at his lips at the unexpected praise and sincerity. "Thank you," he said mildly, though his face was on fire.

The applause finally ceased, but as an embarrassed Scorpius made his way to his usual seat beside Lysander, the other Ravenclaws greeted him with smiles. He had been accepted, finally. That meant a lot.

"The golden boy returns," Lysander said with a sardonic grin as he sat down. His brown eyes were teasing and Scorpius was glad to see it. At least someone treated him the same as always.

"Shut up," Scorpius replied, unperturbed as he reached for the toast with his good arm. It _was_ a bit of an effort to slather on some jam and a couple of sticky blobs landed on the wooden table top, but he was glad no one offered to help him or anything silly like that. He didn't want anything _else_ to make him stand out. The applause had been nice granted, but rather embarrassing, not to mention extremely unnecessary. His cheeks were still flaming.

"You were amazing yesterday!" second-year Patrick Finnegan told him with a bright yet hesitant smile as he speared a piece of bacon from the silver platter in the middle of the table and began liberally drowning it in thick tomato sauce, which caused Scorpius to wince; "I thought those Slytherin's were going to start bawling when you caught the snitch."

"They did I think," Meera remarked idly as she methodically ate her porridge, "I thought Corben was going to have a seizure. Did you hear Wilcox's commentary? And I heard McGonagall went _mad_ with the Slytherin's!"

Scorpius' eyes met Rose's then and held for the briefest of seconds before she looked down at her own plate where she'd been absently pushing around bacon and eggs and not eating a single bite. _Unusual_, Scorpius thought. He'd noticed Rose usually ate whatever was put in front of her.

And, was it his imagination or had she actually looked _guilty _when he'd caught her eye just then? _Yes_, he decided now, she had. Maybe because she'd been so bloody moody over this whole quidditch thing and then he'd been hurt and now she was feeling bad for her childish behaviour.

"_Good_," Scorpius thought spitefully, blatantly ignoring her as he struggled to pour himself some orange juice, blithely waving away Meera's offer of help, "_serve her right. Let _her_ know what its like to feel rotten for a change! Now maybe she'll have some idea of how _I've_ been feeling for the past few months!" _

Feeling much better already, he began to eat his breakfast, not noticing the crestfallen expression on Rose's face as he pointedly turned away from her and back to the other students, basking eagerly in their sudden overtures of friendship.

**HPHPHP**

First lesson after breakfast was Charms, which Scorpius found slightly disconcerting as his wand arm had been injured and he was unable even to levitate a feather- really _basic _stuff he thought with disgust. Flitwick took pity on him and let him read through some of the textbook instead (even though Scorpius already knew that in the upcoming weeks they would be learning cleansing charms and ways of warding doors for privacy. That would be fun).

Astronomy followed which was far less taxing on his arm as well as enjoyable and along with potions, was fast becomming one of his favourite lessons. They learned about the Perseus Constellation and Scorpius found himself looking forward to the fast approaching night-time lectures when they would visit the astronomy tower and view the stars in greater detail and the astronomy club of which he was to join even more. Professor Steggles was a really good teacher. After astronomy he and Lysander headed to the library. He cast a further longing look at the restricted section then flinched under Madam Pince's watchful gaze. The ancient librarian always seemed to sense that he was waiting for his first chance to pour over the prohibited texts for she seemed to eye him with the uttermost suspicion whenever he walked innocently past her desk.

"Have you finished your parchment for History of Magic yet?" Lysander asked him with a sigh as they found an empty table near the window and began unpacking their books and quills, "I started, but got distracted."

Scorpius suppressed a smile as he struggled one-handedly to unroll a blank piece of parchment, eventually settling it down flat on the desk with his elbow and using his good hand to smooth it out. "I finished it yesterday. It's a couple of inches longer than Binns asked us for but I felt I needed to get in the full properties of the various uses of unicorn blood during the witch trials."

Lysander sighed gloomily, his brown eyes absent, "I'd better get to it then."

Scorpius' quill quickly scratched out his notes from Charms, his writing was absolutely atrocious today given that he wasn't ambidextrous, but he was determined to get everything down whilst it was still fresh in his memory. When the bell shrilled again signalling afternoon lessons, both of them were startled that they'd worked all the way through lunch. He quickly (and awkwardly) began to gather his books and jumped at a timid voice behind him, nearly dropping his satchel.

"Scorpius?"

He turned around to see Rose Weasley stood there, laden down with books as usual. She seemed to enjoy reading almost as much as him, he noticed, and he'd seen her reading not just the pre-requisite syllabus textbooks but muggle-fiction too, just like he did. Her blue eyes wore a hesitant expression now and he wondered what in Merlin's name she wanted to speak to _him_ for. He eyed her suspiciously, feeling unnaturally spiteful once more. She seemed to bring that side out in him, he realised.

"Do you want me to wait for you?" Lysander offered mildly, breaking the awkward silence that hung over the trio. Scorpius was sure he caught a glimpse of amusement in his eyes as he looked from him to Rose and back again.

"You go on, I'll see you in the greenhouse," Scorpius replied airily, waving his hand dismissively. Lysander departed for Herbology and he turned his attention back to the redhead. "What can I do for _you_, Weasley?" he realised he was being deliberately obnoxious in the way he addressed her, but an unbidden anger in how she had treated him since he had arrived at Hogwarts was still lying dormant in the back of his brain. Though he wasn't always so rude or arrogant, he genuinely wanted _her_ to feel bad now, the judgemental little know-it-all!

"Um," she turned a little bit pink, clearly not expecting the dismissive tone in his voice, nor the malice in his eyes, "I—I just wanted to say that I'm—I'm sorry, for being so childish um, over the whole seeker thing and I'm really glad you're alright."

Surprise registered momentarily in his grey eyes. He wasn't used to a sincere, apologetic Rose Weasley, though he could tell she certainly meant it. Her face was crestfallen and she was biting her lip as she waited for his reaction and his anger and spite faded instantly though he kept his face deliberately neutral. "I see. Will it ease your guilt over being so horrible to me lately if I tell you I 'forgive' you?" his voice was challenging as he looked down at her.

"Um..." she looked perplexed again as she tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear. "I-- well..."

Scorpius grinned inwardly at her discomfort and the fact that he _could_ still get to her if he wanted to- that was always handy to know and he'd store that information away for later; "relax Weasley, I was joking. Just—forget about it. Really. You aren't the only student who's been unfair to me after all. I can hardly forgive them and not _you _aswell."

"Oh," her brow furrowed as if she wasn't sure if he was serious or not; "well… alright then."

He nodded, brusquely and turned to pick up his bag with his uninjured arm, looping it carelessly over his shoulder; "good."

"Scorpius?"

He turned back to her impatiently. He needed to get to _lessons_ after all, and here she was wittering on at him!

"You were brilliant out there," she said simply. "Hooch made the right choice when she selected you for the team. I realise that now. Do you—do you think you could teach _me_ how to do some of those moves? When you're feeling better I mean," she rushed on hastily, her ears turning red.

His eyes narrowed slightly; "why Weasley," he drawled, only his voice had lost its icy malice, "I certainly wouldn't want to rub your nose in it that _I _made the team and you didn't."

She lifted her chin stubbornly, knowing he was just testing her; "_Rose_, my name is Rose," she reminded him, a small smile creeping over her lips, "and _that_ wasn't why I was asking."

"No?" he said, interested now despite himself.

"No," she confirmed with a wide grin, and he noticed she had a rather charming gap between her top two teeth and that some of them were slightly crooked; "I just want to learn your better strategies for when I make the team _next_ year. Flynn said he thinks I'll make a better chaser than a seeker and I think it's worth a shot."

Scorpius looked at the girl with new respect. It was hard admitting you were wrong yet Rose Weasley had just carried it off with aplomb _and_ apologised to him almost all in the same breath. "Friday afternoon," he said as he turned to exit the library.

"What about it?"

He exhaled impatiently once more; "Honestly Rose, keep up. The pitch is free for independent practice on Friday afternoons. I'll see you then."

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **So they're friends at last. For now anyway. Next chapter: Christmas is fast approaching. Then, for those who have asked, there will be a small jump forwards in time. Thanks for reading!


	7. Christmas at The Burrow

**Christmas at the Burrow- Ch6**

**Disclaimers: **In Ch1.

* * *

Rose could hardly wait until the Christmas holidays which were only two weeks away now. The autumn term had simply _flown_ by. Much as she was loving life at Hogwarts and was absorbed in her studies she couldn't deny that she was feeling homesick and missing her mum, dad and brother, not to mention her extended family. Her mum had owled her that very morning at breakfast to say that she would be waiting at Kings Cross to greet the Hogwarts Express when it arrived and that they and Uncle Harry, who would be picking up James and Albus, would immediately floo to the Burrow from the Leaky Cauldron. Victoire was spending Christmas at Shell Cottage with Uncle Bill and Aunty Fleur, but they would arrive at the Burrow on Boxing Day along with Teddy Lupin, who Rose knew was Victoire's boyfriend but had been part of the family for as long as she could remember anyway.

_Rose, I think it is safer if we floo to the Burrow, _her mum had written to her in a delicate hand, _your dad offered to drive us but I have since found out he confunded the driving examiner when he 'passed' his driving test and feel that in London traffic, floo may be safer should you wish to arrive at your grandmothers in one piece._

The memory of the owl brought a smile to Roses' lips and Scorpius eyed her curiously as they headed towards the quidditch pitch late on Friday afternoon for their regular training session, ignoring a group of Slytherins who made jeering remarks as he walked past them. He still had trouble with _some_ of the students, though not nearly as much since Ravenclaw had wiped the floor with them in the match, much to his pleasure. "What's brought a smile to your face?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow.

He laughed when she told him. He laughed a lot more these days and generally seemed a lot happier in himself; since the quidditch game, he had more friends in his house and _even_ some friends in Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, though he was still closest to Lysander. The two of _them_ had formed an easy sort of truce too and Rose could hardly remember a time that she had ever thought Scorpius would be in Slytherin. When she did though, the painful memories of her unjust stereotyping made her wince and flush hot with embarrassment.

Their gradual progression to friendship had not been easy by any means granted, but Scorpius was a Ravenclaw through and through, with his quick wit and ready intelligence. He had none of the manipulative traits of a Slytherin, though he _could_ be obnoxious and spoilt when the mood arose and occasionally petty, though these events were usually few and far between. She imagined that came from his privileged upbringing and his status as an only child, though easy-going Lysander was quick to try and beat the arrogance down whenever it made an appearance.

She understood now why the two boys were friends- Scorpius pulled Lysander out of his shell on occasion and the Scamander twin had the ability of dragging Scorpius back down to earth whenever he tended to get too big for his boots which happened sometimes. Rose sat with them and Meera at breakfast in the Great Hall and though she never said anything, found it amusing that Scorpius was so enthralled by stories in The Quibbler. She had never imagined a _Malfoy_ could believe so comprehensively in the existence of Nifflers or Clauricorns and she listened to their early morning chatter with veiled interest.

She had also found out where Scorpius vanished to so frequently- the library. She and Lysander managed to get him to spend a little bit more time in the common room instead now, and indeed he did, though he usually _still _had his nose engrossed in a thick book. She had never met someone else who liked reading as much as she did and had been startled to learn that Scorpius had a particular fondness for _muggle_ authors too, which she'd never have guessed. He enjoyed Orson Scott Card books and Terry Pratchett, though he did sometimes scoff that Pratchett's stories were 'slightly unbelievable' in their plots, which she found somewhat ironic in itself, given their predilection for witches, wizards and all manner of so-called "fantasy" creatures.

Scorpius Malfoy she had to admit, was nothing like she'd ever expected, though that pleased her.

Their quidditch practice that icy December afternoon was just as competitive as usual, but she welcomed the hard work and was grateful for Scorpius' assistance in teaching her new skills, particularly since she knew he had also been fiercely training for their next match against Gryffindor in January. By the time they'd finished, the sun was lowering in the sky and both of them were feeling rather chilly from the brisk Scottish wind.

"What are you doing at Christmas then?" she asked him as they left the pitch, out of breath and noses and cheeks pink from the cold. The grounds were covered in a light dusting of snow and the whomping willow's spindly branches were framed grey against the dusky sky. Another big snowfall was expected in the upcoming days and Rose hoped it would happen this weekend so the students could go sledging in the grounds before she headed back to Cornwall. Headmistress McGonagall, who wasn't _quite_ as strict as she had made out upon their arrival at the school, had taught them (though not without effort) how to transfigure their broomsticks into wooden sleighs and Rose was eager to put her new-found skills to good use.

Scorpius blew on his hands to warm them. His fingers were red from the cold and he buried them in the pockets of his robes to try and keep them warm, balancing his broom under his arm. "The usual I imagine. Christmas with granny and granddad at Malfoy Manor." His voice contained bitter irony.

Rose studied him closely as she shifted her broom to her other hand, "you don't sound too pleased about that." She had heard all about the grandiose, foreboding Malfoy Manor from her parents and could sense his evident distaste in going there, _especially_ for Christmas. He had previously explained to her that he, his mum and dad lived in a large cottage in Lakeworth in Devon, which was obviously somewhere he much preferred to be. It was facing the beach, he had told her with a bright smile, and he had a window-seat that overlooked the ocean where he liked to curl up and read or watch thunderstorms over the sea. Clearly the thought of the dark, gloomy manor upset him.

Scorpius pulled his blue and bronze scarf tighter around his neck, "we aren't close," he admitted carefully as he contemplated his grandfather, "for obvious reasons."

"Because he was a death eater?" Roses' bluntness sometimes made him flinch, but she was remarkably perceptive and usually correct, much as he hated to admit it.

Scorpius looked subdued; "amongst other things. He's—a hard man to love I suppose. He and my grandmother are very set in their ways. I _know_ they care about me, and my dad, at least I think they do, but he has a very old-fashioned view of the wizarding world and his perception is very hard to change. When he found out I'd been sorted into Ravenclaw he sent my dad a lot of angry owls to the Ministry at first. I still don't think he's fully accepted it, but family is important to him and I know he'll come around, eventually. At least I hope so. Family—I mean _that_ was the reason why he turned his back on V—Voldemort twenty years ago. Because of my dad."

Rose nodded thoughtfully, recollecting what her own mother and father had told her about the Battle of Hogwarts, "I—when we first arrived here I was hard on you, because from the stories I grew up with. I thought you'd be like stories I'd heard about _him_. I was wrong and I'm sorry. It was unfair of me to try and judge you without even knowing you."

Scorpius shrugged, a graceful gesture. "You weren't the only person to think that."

"But it wasn't fair of me—"

"Rose," he smiled at her guilty protestations, "really. It's ok. Let's not dredge all that stuff up again."

"You're happy here now though, aren't you?" she asked him uncertainly, her breath clouding in the cold, early evening air.

His smile said everything; "of course. I'm happier here than I ever could be at bloody Durmstrang or anywhere else. I'll be even _happier_ when we get our marks for this term and I cream you in every subject."

"Keep dreaming Malfoy!" she retorted, elbowing him, though she had a smile on her own face. The sense of competitiveness between them was becoming well-known amongst the first-year students who were amused by their now-friendly rivalry. She faced him as they reached the entrance hall, serious all of a sudden; "I'm glad we're friends, Scorpius."

"Me too," he said solemnly, "I'll be even gladder to know I've beaten you in both charms _and_ transfiguration this year. Come on, race you inside! It's bloody freezing out here!"

She stuck out her tongue with a grin, her laugh merry as he chased her into the castle.

**HPHPHPHP**

The ride back to London on the Hogwarts Express seemed to take an _age_; Rose reflected as she stared impatiently out of the windows, she was just so excited about Christmas and seeing her family once more! Beside her, Albus was wriggling in his own seat like a naughty puppy, and she knew he felt the same way. He was looking forward to seeing his mum and dad and had the news that he had came joint-top of the year in Care of Magical Creatures to greet them with (tying with Lysander), which he was delighted about. He seemed to have a particular aptitude in dealing with Grindylows and Flobberworms. Rose too, had exceptional marks, yet the notion that Scorpius had beaten her had not proven unfounded. At this point in the school year, she was top in Charms and Potions and Scorpius was leading the pack in Transfiguration, Astronomy _and_ History of Magic, much to her chagrin.

On the train that slowly snaked through the Scottish countryside, Lorcan was discussing his Christmas gifts with Albus and Meera, or _hoped for_ Christmas gifts rather, many of which he had requested from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes December 2017 hologrammed catalogue. Rose smiled at the thought that Lorcan Scamander could probably keep her Uncle George's joke shop in business single-handedly.

Lysander and Phillius grew engaged in a heated game of wizarding chess and opposite her, Scorpius was looking distantly out of the window, seemingly oblivious to everything going on around him. "Are you ok?" she asked him softly, lowering her voice so none of their friends could hear her. Crookshanks II purred on her lap, digging his claws into Roses' denim jeans and Rose stroked him obligingly.

Scorpius nodded forlornly and even managed a weak smile, though his eyes were distant as he gazed out unseeingly at the passing scenery. He was worried about spending Christmas with his grandfather she knew. He hadn't said much about it but had seemingly grown darker when anyone _else_ had discussed their plans for the festive season. At first she had put it down to his occaisional bouts of arrogance but then he had admitted that he really didn't want to see his grandfather at all.

"_You're_ lucky to be going to The Burrow," he muttered, almost resentfully and Rose was taken aback by the envy in his voice though not surprised. She had told him about The Burrow so many times he could almost believe that he _himself_ had already been there and could smell the richness of Molly Weasley's cooking coming from the cluttered kitchen- an earthy oxtail stew or a juicy roast venison. She had described the chicken coops and the haphazard levels built onto the tumbledown house in so much detail that he felt he could have drawn it in his sleep. He knew about everything, from the evil garden gnomes that proved so troublesome in shifting from the long overgrown grass, to the clock in the kitchen that knew where each and every member of the Weasley family was at any given time. The whole house sounded absolutely wonderful to Scorpius. He would far rather be spending the holidays somewhere like _that_, than being conversation fodder for his grandfather and the old man's grumpy friends at some no-doubt diabolical party.

Rose smiled sympathetically, "I'm sorry Scorpius."

"Me too," he mumbled piteously as he went back to gazing out of the window once more, ignoring everyone again. Rose sighed but knew better by now than to make him talk. When he got in a mood like this it was best to just leave him to it.

The train pulled into Kings Cross many hours later and slowed to a halt at Platform Nine-and-three quarters. Rose was up and out of her seat before the engine had even stopped. Both she and Albus peered through the smoke billowing outside their windows, clutching each other as they looked for their families. Rose was off the train first.

"Mum!" Rose almost dropped Crookshanks II's cage onto the tracks as she leapt from the stairs and into her mother's waiting arms, "I'm so glad to see you!"

Her mother looked so young and pretty as she gathered Rose into a big hug, her brown curly hair tumbling over her shoulders. It felt like _forever_ since she'd had a cuddle from her mum. "You too sweetheart!" her mum beamed, "it's so nice to see you, _finally_!"

Scorpius stepped from the train, trying to side-step the big crowd of parents and students gathered as he searched the bustling platform for his own family. Standing a couple of feet from Rose and her mum was his dad wearing a reserved smile, which grew wider when he saw his son. "Scorp!" he called, dropping his aristocratic demeanour instantly.

"Hi dad," Scorpius said with a relieved smile, lugging his case over. He hadn't even been sure his dad would have been able to meet him, he had expected both he and his mum to be working and that they would have had their house elf apparate to Kings Cross to greet him instead. His dad instantly shrank his trunk down for him and placed it in his coat pocket, and then he pulled his son into a hug. "Where's mum?" Scorpius asked him.

"She's been called to St Mungo's," his dad replied with a roll of his eyes, "some kind of 'Nargle' outbreak apparently, they've bitten some wizards in Cheshire and sent them a bit loopy… but she'll be back in time to floo with us to see your granddad… How was your journey?"

"Tiring," Scorpius replied with a laugh, turning to catch Roses' eye. Her mother's arm was slung over her shoulder and she was laughing at something and Draco followed his son's eye-line, curiously. He seemed startled when Scorpius excused himself and headed over to the girl, but didn't say anything, only waited patiently.

Scorpius tapped her on the shoulder and she turned. She beamed when she saw him, his animosity on the train seemingly forgotten, "we're heading to the Leaky Cauldron to floo to the Burrow," she told him, as Roses' mum looked down at him, wearing a similar expression to that of his own father, surprised yet cautious. He cast her a hesitant smile and Mrs Weasley smiled back tentatively. "Happy Christmas Scorpius," Rose said with a grin.

"You too, Rose, Mrs Weasley," he said with an apologetic smile which he knew she would understand. He _had_ behaved like a bit of an arse on the train after all. "See you in January."

He headed back to his father, who was looking perplexed, "you're friends with Granger's daughter?" he asked him, looking baffled as they started walking to where he knew the portkey was stationed.

"She's a _Weasley_, dad," Scorpius said with a grin.

"Well there's no mistaking THAT," Draco responded, an amused smile on his own lips, "that red hair, those freckles…."

"That stubbornness, that intelligence…" Scorpius played along, glad his father was here.

Draco eyed his son dubiously, "is she in Gryffindor?"

"No, Ravenclaw too," Scorpius replied with a smirk, knowing what his father's reaction would be.

Sure enough, Draco let out a sigh of relief, "thank _goodness_, because the thought of my son associating with a _Gryffindor_ is enough to give me nightmares!"

"Well, actually dad, I have friends in Gryffindor," Scorpius said hesitantly.

Draco laughed as he cuffed his son lightly around the back of the neck, "I'm teasing Scorp. After _everything_ that went on in the past, you should know that it doesn't matter where your friends are and what blood they are," his eyes darkened, "certainly not to _me _anymore, anyway."

Scorpius' own eyes were shadowed, "granddad?" he guessed miserably.

"Granddad," Draco confirmed with a small sigh of his own.

**HPHPHPHP**

Rose linked arms with her mother as they followed Albus, James and her Uncle Harry to the Leaky Cauldron. "It's so nice to have you back again;" her mother beamed cheerfully, "the house has been too quiet with just your father and Hugo."

Rose stifled a smile, "somehow I find it hard to believe that the house will _ever _be quiet with Hugo around."

Her mother shot her a warning look, "so… Scorpius Malfoy," she began uncertainly, changing the subject; "I know you owled and said he was in Ravenclaw with you but I have to admit, I hadn't quite expected you two to be so… friendly."

Rose knew what her mum was getting at; "he's different from what I expected," she said carefully. "We didn't get on at first. I thought he'd be like stories I'd heard about his dad and grandfather from you, dad and Uncle Harry, but he's not. He can be rather spoiled and arrogant sometimes but he's not mean. The fact that he was sorted into Ravenclaw and not Slytherin says enough, I suppose."

Her mother's brow relaxed. She trusted her daughter to let her make sensible decisions; "good."

Rose tucked her arm through her mothers, "come on mum… lets go and get a butterbeer before we floo." They headed down the street, chattering happily about Hogwarts. Her mum was full of questions about McGonagall, Professor Flitwick and Hagrid.

The Leaky Cauldron was as dark and crowded as ever, full of witches, warlocks and goblins that had been in Diagon Alley doing some last minute Christmas shopping. Rose was always fascinated by the characters one saw in there and soaked up the magical atmosphere eagerly, in between telling her mother and Uncle Harry all her news as Albus chipped in with tales of Gryffindor tower, Lorcan and Phillius. First on Roses' agenda of course, were her end-of-term marks. Her mother was thrilled that she seemed to be doing so well in her subjects and Harry nudged her with a smirk, "a chip off the old block, eh' Mione," he remarked with a grin, as her mother blushed and swatted him.

"Daaad," Albus broke into the conversation with a sly grin, "please can I have a Pygmypuff?"

"Oh Merlin," Uncle Harry groaned in exasperation, "bloody Hagrid and his bloody ideas!"

"Can I?" Albus implored hopefully.

Harry finished his fire whiskey with another groan as Hermione and Rose giggled, "ask your mum," Harry said finally.

Albus winked at Rose and James and spoke in undertone, his green eyes bright as he clinked his glass to theirs triumphantly; "that means _yes_."

**HPHPHPHP**

After a round of butterbeers (or in Harry's case, fire whiskey), the five of them flooed to The Burrow. Ottery-St-Catchpole was buried under a snow-drift, Uncle Harry remarked absently as they stood by the fireplace of the pub, so it was a good thing they _weren't_ travelling by car. "Dad would probably drive us into a snow bank," Rose agreed with a grin as she grabbed a handful of floo powder and stepped into the green flames in time to avoid her mother's reproachful stare. "The Burrow!" she instructed, excitedly.

Five seconds later she stepped out of the grate, coughing and dusting at her robes as she eyed the interior of her grandparent's house appreciatively.

The burrow always looked beautiful, despite its higgledy piggledy outwardly appearance, and Rose knew she wouldn't have it any other way, _especially _at Christmastime; it was a home that always looked 'lived in' somehow- she could see from here that the hallway and living room were decorated with tinsel and intertwined holly and ivy. Mistletoe hung above the roaring fireplace from which she had just emerged and the huge Christmas tree had been enchanted so that real, unmeltable snow adorned its spiky branches. It was decorated with miniature twinkling fairies that waved excitedly at Rose, and glittering baubles. The strong scent of pine and cinnamon was in the air, intermingled with mulled mead and the aroma of her grandmother's shortbread emitting from the oven. The ghost in the attic seemed to be in a jolly mood too, Rose could hear him screeching his Christmas carols from all the way downstairs and ringing his sleigh bells.

"We're here!" Albus arrived next and yelled as he dusted the soot from his face, his eyes bright, "MUM! LILY! GRANNY! GRANDAD! WE'RE HERE!"

"And now we're slightly deaf," Uncle Harry said ruefully, arriving next; he clapped his right ear to stop the ringing as he set Albus' trunk down, flicked his wand at it and instructed it to levitate upstairs. He did the same with James' then hers as they freed themselves of their coats and winter garments.

The sound of footsteps' rushing into the room alerted her that the rest of the family was indeed now aware of their presence, thanks to Albus. Sure enough, her dad and Hugo appeared first, beaming, quickly followed by Aunty Ginny, Lily and her grandparents.

"Rosie! Darling!" her dad caught her in a huge hug, his eyes shining, "oh I've missed you!"

"You too, daddy!" she beamed as she threw her arms around his neck.

"You've grown," he said, tickling her freckled nose. He was damp with snow from the garden and she correctly deduced he'd been de-gnoming, judging by the tired expression on his face and the disparaging mutters she could hear coming through the partially-open window.

"I've only grown half an inch," she corrected him as she gave a squirming Hugo a cuddle next.

The room was soon filled with laughing and chattering Weasley's and Potters, all vying for attention to see who could be the loudest if the volume of their voices was anything to go by. Rose got swept into a hug by her Uncle Charlie then who was looking as bedraggled as ever after his recent jaunt hunting dragons in Romania and also enquired as to Hagrid's welfare. Granddad Arthur quickly flicked his wand and the living room seemed to widen by a few inches, giving them some much-needed breathing space.

"Everyone have a seat!" urged Grandma Molly with a beam, her red hair was laced with some white now but her eyes were twinkling and as sharp as ever. She was so glad to have all her family together once more. She quickly transfigured some bright red cushions into comfortable squashy chairs which they all piled into, "I want to hear everyone's news!"

Once again, everyone started talking at once, the volume of chatter was deafening. Her grandmother had a quick solution to the problem and conjured up a big plate of gooey chocolate cakes. Instantly, all the males in the room reached for a piece and crammed it in their mouths, which caused the noise level to decrease slightly.

Molly beamed around at the girls, satisfied by her ingenuity as the men eyeballed her suspiciously, mouths full; "I'm so glad everyone is here again!"

**HPHPHPHP**

"It's Christmas! It's Christmas! It's Christmas, it's Christmas!"

Her cousin Lily's incessant cries woke Rose the next morning as she stirred groggily.

"It's early, it's early..." she muttered sleepily, pulling her pillow back over her head.

"Wake up, Rosie!" Lily urged, prodding her cousin's shoulder.

"You've been sent here just to torture me, haven't you?" Rose yawned as she pulled her patchwork quilt tighter around herself, "Lily… go back to sleep, please. Just for another hour." A glance at the enchanted alarm clock on her bedside table told her it wasn't even half-past seven yet. However, at Lily's cries, the ghost overhead had been awoken and soon started his usual spooky howling- an off-key rendition of 'Good King Wenceslas.' Rose knew that it wouldn't be long before the whole house was awake and sure enough she heard chagrined mutterings coming from her mum and dad's room next door and next second Hugo was careening excitedly down the rickety spiral staircase, shrieking loudly.

"Merlin…" she said with a resigned sigh as she hopped out of bed, barefeet cringing on the cold wooden floor, and pulled her cousin into a hug, "happy Christmas, Lily!"

Christmas at the Burrow was always a raucous occasion and this year was no different. The Weasley's and Potters came downstairs in fits and starts and then gathered in the kitchen where Grandma Molly quickly set the cooker to work, frying up bacon, sausages and eggs as she hummed to herself cheerfully. The family gathered around the huge pine table in earnest, laughing and joking and as Rose looked from her mother to her father, she reflected with a smile that there was nowhere else she would rather be.

**HPHPHPHP**

Scorpius could think of a million other places he would rather be.

Class for one, _detention_… even the Forbidden Forest all seemed to be more appealing than being cooped up in Malfoy Manor with his stern grandfather.

It had been arduous ever since he had arrived the previous evening and seemed to be growing worse by the minute. The second his world had stopped spinning after the portkey, he had clapped eyes on his grandfather who was eyeing him with an expression of distaste on his distinguished face. Only then did Scorpius realise his first mistake: he was still wearing his Ravenclaw scarf. He made to pull it off, but his _dad_ stopped him with a friendly arm to his shoulder.

"Father," he had greeted Lucius, mildly and then hugged his mother who returned the greeting in kind. Narcissa Malfoy had once been a beautiful woman, though now her face was lined and her eyes darkened. Her long hair was streaked with grey. Truth be told, she was looking old.

"Draco, Astoria," Lucius pressed a courteous kiss to his daughter-in-laws cheek and then turned his attention to his grandson; "Scorpius, how delightful to see you." He voiced the words pleasantly though his grey eyes were cold. Scorpius shivered.

His dad nudged him and Scorpius managed a polite smile, "you too, grandfather."

"How many times?" Lucius tutted as he rapped his silver cane on the marble floor, "that makes me sound old. Lucius boy, call me Lucius. I would think you would be smart enough to know that by now, given the house you have been sorted into, I believe?"

Scorpius nodded, not saying anything in response and then greeted his grandmother, who was slightly friendlier, though not friendly enough to make up for his grandfather- _Lucius's_- reticence.

The manor was decorated for Christmas with all kinds of enchanted decorations and a huge blue Norwegian spruce took pride of place in the entrance hall, yet the colourful decorations did not in any way detract Scorpius from the coldness that seemed ever-pervading in the residence. Not for the first time that weekend, he had longed for the cosiness of their Devonshire cottage and his books and own belongings, or the easy atmosphere of Hogwarts. He would bet Rose, James and Albus were having a simply brilliant time at The Burrow.

"Dinner is ready," Lucius had beckoned a house elf imperiously, clicking his fingers; "you! Take their luggage upstairs and be quick about it!"

"Yes sir, immediately sir," the house elf had almost fallen all over himself in his haste to please his master as Scorpius tried to bite back his own distaste at Lucius' treatment of the creature and exchanged a glance with his mother, who was frowning too.

Christmas was going to be hell.

**HPHPHPHP**

Rose was disappointed that the Christmas holidays seemed to end so soon, much as she was delighted to be going back to Hogwarts and seeing her friends again and eager to find out what presents everyone had gotten, particularly if Lorcan had got as many Weasley's joke products as he'd been hoping for. This time it wasn't as wrenching as she boarded the Hogwarts Express, though she looked everywhere for the familiar blond hair of Scorpius and couldn't see him anywhere and he never arrived at their carriage, which caused her some concern. She wondered at first if maybe something was wrong. That idea was dispelled when she arrived back at the school and saw him dragging his trunk up the stone steps, a dour expression on his pale face.

He nevertheless greeted her with a relieved smile as they headed to the Ravenclaw common room together, not saying anything. His thoughts seemed far away.

"_Happy new year_," greeted the door knocker, "_You can see nothing else when you look in my face, I will look you in the eye and I will never lie. What am I?_"

"Your reflection," Rose and Scorpius said in unison and then looked at each other and grinned.

The knocker permitted them access. Scorpius heaved his trunk up to the boy's dorm and quickly unpacked as Lysander dreamily sat on his bed and stared at the ceiling. When Scorpius went back downstairs to the common room, it seemed like half of the rest of the house had already congregated in there, discussing their Christmas holidays loudly. It wasn't hard to locate Rose. The comfortable looking jumper she was wearing, bright blue and emblazoned with a big bronze 'R' made her stand out a mile. He hid a smile as he approached her.

"My grandma made me it," Rose ventured as she curled up in front of the fire with her tatty copy of 'Hogwarts a History.'

"That's nice," Scorpius said mildly, his face relaxing finally as he was around friends, "I don't think _my_ grandmother knits. Infact, I can't imagine what her reaction would be if someone handed her a ball of wool. She'd probably give it to a house elf to deal with instead."

Rose suppressed a smile at his astute assessment. "How were your holidays? I missed you on the train."

"My grandfather dropped me off," Scorpius replied, "he had some business to attend to in Hogsmeade. My holidays were… festive," he added blithely as he sat beside her in front of the fire, ignoring the erratic game of Gobstones going on behind them and sporadic cries of 'EW!' from the students playing as the stones burst sticky slime in their faces. "Grandfather was on _fine_ form as usual. I'd barely recovered from the portkey when he started quizzing me about Ravenclaw. Dad told him to drop the subject… it all went downhill from there, really." He didn't divulge but Rose sensed he was holding back from her how bad it had _really_ been, so she didn't pry. "…And New Year was even worse. We all flooed to some distant relatives house in Edinburgh for Hogmanay and it was an unmitigated disaster if I'm honest." His expression was crestfallen, "bloody pretentious people and their just-as-snobby social gatherings. Me and my mum and dad just tried to stay out of the way as much as possible."

"I'm sorry," Rose said quietly, and she truly was.

"I wish it'd just been me and my parents," Scorpius admitted, "we always have a much better time and there aren't any stupid parties either. Next year dads _promised_ we'll go abroad somewhere for christmas instead. Believe me; the moon couldn't be far enough away from Lucius."

"Were they pleased with your marks?" Rose asked, curiously, trying to jolly him.

"My dad was chuffed," Scorpius grinned, "but he did threaten to disown me if you beat me at potions next time. I think he was on the verge of commenting on 'Gryffindor favouritism' which is what he apparently used to say about your _mum_… then he realised that argument wasn't a valid one anymore."

Rose giggled, "_my _dad said something similar about History of Magic. He and my mum both failed to understand after the amount of times I've read 'Hogwarts a History' that I could _still _only come second."

"Rose, the answer is obvious," Scorpius smirked as he curled up with his own textbook, and at her enquiring look added airily; "_I'm_ just too bloody brilliant."

"And bloody big-headed," Rose remarked with a smirk of her own as she opened her book once more and prodded him in the shoulder, "I'll get better marks than you next time."

"Sure you will, Weasley." He felt better than he had in days.

"_Rose,_ my name is Rose."

**HPHPHPHP****HPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **Thanks for reading! Next chapter there's a slight jump forwards in time and more mentions of Nasty!Lucius and Father!Draco.


	8. Black sheep and bad apples

**Black Sheep**** and bad apples- Ch7**

**Disclaimers: **See ch1.

* * *

**2019, King's Cross Station**

"Budge up Ly, make at least a _little_ bit more room in here, Rose and Hugo will be arriving soon," Scorpius nudged his friend who was staring dreamily into space as usual as he heaved his own trunk into the already-cramped train carriage. Lysander obligingly shifted over as he threw himself comfortably down on the seat opposite Lorcan who was looking hopefully out of the window at the bustling crowds in the station.

"What are _you_ looking for?" Scorpius asked him almost suspiciously, seeing how on edge he was as he stared through the glass. Almost antsy infact, he seemed to be fidgeting.

Lorcan blushed; "nobody. I mean um, nothing. Why?"

Lysander snickered under his breath as he snapped out of his reverie; "he's been owling _Meera_ all summer," he divulged.

Scorpius' eyes widened as Lorcan glared at his twin; "thanks, mouth."

Lysander shrugged and went back to his deep thoughts as Scorpius grinned at Lorcan. "So… _Meera,_ hey?"

Lorcan folded his arms huffily, annoyed at being teased. He was usually the one to tease others first and for once couldn't think of anything else to say. Scorpius bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at seeing the bolshy Scamander so lost for words all of a sudden.

"Alright?" the carriage door was pushed open as Phillius stepped inside, out of breath from rushing to the platform, closely followed by Meera, who levitated their cases onto the luggage racks. Scorpius noticed the way Lorcan's eyes lit up as soon as he saw the pretty girl and how she was quick to take a seat beside him. _That_ was an interesting new development! He wondered if Rose knew about it. None of their little group had had boyfriends or girlfriends before, though as most of them _were_ related, it might have been slightly incestuous.

"Where's Rose?" Meera asked, looking around the carriage and smoothing back her silky dark hair, "not like her to be late."

"I think Mr Weasley was driving her, Hugo and their cousins to the station," Scorpius reported with a smirk, "he isn't brilliant in traffic, apparently."

"Have a good summer?" Phillius asked him as he sat down on the other side of Meera and quickly located some jelly slugs which he passed around the carriage.

"So-so," Scorpius replied with a shrug as he accepted one of the slimy sweets, eager to change the subject for reasons he didn't care to elaborate on. "I went to stay with Lysander for a week and _that_ was brill." He made no mention of home at all but all his friends saw the sudden gloominess in his grey eyes.

Lysander picked up on his mood as usual, for he was quick to offer; "I can't _believe_ we finally get Hogsmeade visits this term…"

"_I_ can't believe we get to drop bloody awful subjects we hate!" Lorcan ventured happily, seemingly forgetting his snit with his brother now that Meera was ensconced beside him and so close that Scorpius noticed their hands were almost touching, "goodbye history of magic! Goodbye astronomy! It's the best bit about being a third year!"

Meera smiled affectionately at him and then turned her attention to Scorpius, "are you and Rose even dropping _any_ subjects this term?" she asked curiously, "how on earth are you both going to manage with all your work, _plus_ quidditch training?"

Much to Scorpius' joy, Rose had indeed made the Ravenclaw quidditch team in her second year and was now a chaser. The two of them had a great laugh together and much to their houses' joy, Ravenclaw had won the quidditch cup two consecutive years running, though Gryffindor had taken the house cup, which seemed to be an emerging pattern. He liked to joke that the first year at winning the quidditch cup had been down to _him_, and the second time, maybe Rose had 'helped a bit.' She had said he was an "arrogant tosser," but it was all in jest of course. The two of them were still firm friends.

"I'm dropping care of magical creatures and charms," Scorpius revealed, "sticking with most of the others I already have, and I'm taking muggle studies too. I think Rose is dropping magical creatures and Arithmancy."

There was a little surprised intake of breath from his friends at his statement as Lorcan looked at him, his brow furrowed somewhat; "_you're _taking muggle studies? Um, what did your dad say?" he was clearly trying to be tactful but merely came across as slightly nosy.

"He wasn't fussed," Scorpius replied honestly, looking slightly distant, "but my grandfather wasn't too pleased of course." There was an awkward silence and Scorpius looked down at his jelly slug stubbornly and took a decisive bite. "Never mind. Who cares what _he_ thinks anyway?" he added around a large mouthful of slug.

His friends exchanged glances, all of them realising that _something_ must have occurred over the summer in the Malfoy household but not wanting to fixate on something that was obviously a sore point with Scorpius. Phillius, ever the peacemaker, searched his mind desperately for another change of subject, but at that moment the carriage door was pushed open again, as Rose and Albus appeared. Hiding behind them were their shy, nervous siblings who ducked their heads at seeing so many older students in one place. James wasn't there- he must have raced off up the carriage to see his other friends.

"Hi all!" Albus grinned excitedly at the group, his green eyes sparkling, "bloody hell- third years! We're getting old."

Scorpius looked at Rose who was smiling too, but it looked rather forced. More of a grimace actually. Indeed, she was looking slightly unhappy he suddenly noticed. His brow immediately wrinkled in consternation. Albus rolled his eyes as he glanced back at her, sensing her mood. "Honestly Rose! Just show them!"

"Shut up," Rose hissed, elbowing him sharply.

Albus folded his arms and addressed the carriage as a whole; "Rose has had a muggle brace fitted in the summer holidays," he said simply; "please don't make a big thing of it; she's as self conscious enough as it is."

Lysander, Phillius and Lorcan were looking as confused as Scorpius felt, but Meera looked sympathetic. _"Oh…"_ she said softly, looking up at her friend understandingly.

Rose was glaring at her cousin; "_thanks_ Al, you big giant prat." When she spoke, Scorpius caught the flash of shiny metal on her gapped, crooked front teeth and understood that a 'brace' was probably something to do with muggle dentists of which he knew a bit about from books. She met his quizzical eyes then and the tips of her ears turned red as she looked away.

Albus chucked his case up on the rack with the others; "you're welcome," he said absently, either not understanding her sarcasm or choosing to ignore it. Probably the latter. He then pulled Lily and Hugo into the carriage; "Lil, Hu, this is everyone- some people you already know of course," he introduced, pulling them down beside he and Phillius on the seat. "Be nice," he cautioned to his friends in not-quite undertone, "we've already had tears in the car and not _just_ because of Uncle Ron's driving."

Lily and Hugo looked absolutely mortified as Rose not-so-discretely kicked Albus in the shin; "diplomacy," she said with a roll of her eyes; "look it up in the dictionary, idiot."

She sat down beside Scorpius with a sigh then after closing the carriage door. "Hi," she mumbled, keeping her lips pressed tightly together, so tightly they were almost turning white. Scorpius wondered if she was ever going to open her mouth properly again.

"Hello," he replied mildly, "you didn't say in any of your owls that you'd had braces." The two friends had been owling each other constantly through the school holidays, given that Rose had spent a short amount of time with both sets of grandparents and had also gone on holiday to Italy with her mum and dad and spent time in Rome and Venice. Her dad had been a guest referee for 'Quidditch Italia!" the Italian quidditch premier league, much to Scorpius' envy. He thought some of the Italian players were simply brilliant.

Rose hunched her shoulders miserably at the mention of her braces and he realised that she was self conscious, which was surprising. Rose was usually so confident and outgoing, he'd never have expected something like a brace on her teeth to bother her; he honestly didn't think it was that bad, either. Rose had a pretty smile anyway, even with metal on her teeth, he realised now. He didn't tell her that, instead he just let her complain, and complain she did.

"I _hate_ the bloody braces," she wailed dramatically first, "my Granny and Granddad Granger were once muggle dentists and _they_ noticed the gap in my teeth and that some of them were wonky and one thing led to another…" she looked miserable; "my mum said it might be a good idea because _she_ had awful teeth when she was young and didn't want me to have to go through the same thing."

"Why didn't they just use magic?" Scorpius asked, puzzled.

"That's what _I_ said!" Rose huffed, blowing a strand of hair off her forehead as she folded her arms; "It's not fair because I know for a fact my mum had HER teeth magicked better, but Granny and Grandad _still_ aren't very… used to non-muggle solutions to problems and they get a bit—flustered sometimes, especially when dad suddenly apparates in their living room and uses magic to cook and do the washing up. Even after all this time." She changed the subject quickly, obviously not wanting to dwell on her brace anymore or her bitter annoyance that she'd been _forced_ into wearing one; "what about you? How was _your_ summer? Some of your letters weren't very long. Were you at Malfoy Manor?"

"Yes for some of it," Scorpius replied gloomily, his grey eyes downcast. At her gently probing expression he lowered his voice; "I'll tell you later," he promised, and Rose nodded. He grew brighter however when he spoke of spending time with Lysander and Lorcan at the Rook shaped house where Mrs Scamander had grown up. He'd spent a whole week there in the middle of August when Rose was in Italy, and according to him, Mrs Scamander was simply "wicked! She knows _all_ about Nargles and wrackspurts- and Mr Scamander has the BEST stories about weird creatures!"

Rose was glad to see him cheer up slightly as he talked of other things, though couldn't help noticing his eyes were still somewhat despondent.

The conversation then turned to the term ahead, and as Rose looked around at the carriage, she suddenly noticed her little brother staring in abject fascination at _Meera_, his blue eyes glazed over in an expression almost as dreamy as Lysander's usually was. She discretely nudged Scorpius who grinned broadly in realisation, "oh… someone's in _love_," he commented in a whisper.

"He's eleven!" Rose protested with a giggle, "She's thirteen!"

"First love," Scorpius said knowledgeably, "and older women syndrome…you never forget it. I liked some healer friend of my mother's when I was about ten and she was about twenty eight… I can understand what he's going through, unrequited love and all, poor bloke."

Rose smirked as she eyed her brother again whose tongue was literally hanging out now. He hadn't even blinked for about five minutes. "Meera _is _incredibly pretty," she said ruefully, "I suppose I can understand…" she rubbed a hand over the bridge of her nose, wishing she was half as pretty as her friend.

Funny, it had never bothered her before to have freckles or curly hair, but now that she had entered her teenage years and had the ugly brace fitted on her teeth as well, she was feeling surprisingly self conscious all of a sudden. And very gangly too, given she'd had a growth spurt over the summer. The whole matter hadn't been helped by the sudden spots she had noticed creeping onto her rosy skin too, though with the amount of freckles, they were well camouflaged, and her Aunty Ginny had given her some moisturising potions for her skin to try and diminish them even further, which would hopefully start working soon.

"Yes, well little Hugo might have some competition for Meera's affections," Scorpius commented, discretely tilting his head in the direction of Lorcan, who was avidly hanging onto Meera's every word as well.

"No!" Rose exclaimed, surprised.

"_Yes_," Scorpius said with a grin; "seemingly, Cupid has struck Hogwarts."

**HPHPHPHPHP**

The train journey seemed as long as ever, because Rose and Scorpius were simply so excited to be getting back to school once more. By the time they'd arrived at Hogsmeade Station, said a quick 'hello' to Hagrid and loaded their things into the carriages, the sun was already starting to set in the September sky. The friends shared a carriage on-route to the castle, and as they trundled up the stony hill, Rose wondered how Lily and Hugo would be getting on in the boats. Her little brother had been unusually quiet on the train, though granted that _was_ probably because he'd been staring at Meera so much. Lily had been on the edge of her seat excitedly, asking all kinds of questions about the sorting and wondering what house she'd be put into.

They left their luggage in the huge hallway, for the elves to levitate everything upstairs later, and headed into the vast Great Hall in preparation for the usual feast and in anticipation of the sorting, as the prefects organised everyone to the house tables, proudly wearing their little gold badges, indicating their new positions of authority.

The head girl this year they soon found was a kindly girl from Hufflepuff who always took the time to listen to people's problems and had that extra five minutes to spare helping house elves darn their tea towel smocks. Rose privately thought she was a good choice, though she'd miss Victoire of course. Her cousin, last years head girl much to Roses' pride, had done a brilliant job, yet was now off to study medicine as an apprentice at St Mungo's which she was very excited about, _plus_ getting to spend time with Teddy Lupin, who was training to be an Auror in London too. Rose hoped the two of them would get engaged soon- that would be simply brilliant! She whispered as much to Scorpius who rolled his eyes dramatically. He was already fed-up with the amount of 'sloppiness' he'd felt they'd been subjected to on the Hogwarts Express. He couldn't take any more stories of romance! It would send him positively mental.

The head boy was a sturdy Gryffindor and Rose was sure the two students would work well together. She wondered if there had ever been a Slytherin in a student position of leadership in the school but Scorpius moodily said he didn't know. She noticed when she asked that Scorpius grew miserable again and quickly realised that whatever was making him act so offhandedly was clearly related to his grandfather or father in some way and wanted to kick herself for mentioning the respective houses.

Soon though, the first year students filing into the hall distracted them. "They look so small," Lysander said, startled; "I can't believe we were ever that titchy."

"Meera still is," Scorpius joked, gesturing to the petite girl, who stuck her tongue out at them good naturedly. Compared to the much taller Rose, she _was_ positively tiny after all.

McGonagall pulled out the tatty sorting hat and Rose remembered with a reminiscent smile how scared she'd been of this event. She'd reassured Hugo and Lily there was nothing to worry about and to her relief, both her cousin and her brother were looking fairly confident about what was to come. She watched the sorting with interest, seeing students being sorted into all of the houses to cheers and applause, sitting up straighter when it was her cousin's turn. As if there had been no doubt, the hat instantly called out; "Gryffindor!"

Rose clapped loudly as little Lily scurried off to the Gryffindor table, beaming and joined her two brothers, looking both proud and relieved. She felt Scorpius nudge her and tilted her head so she could hear him.

"Where do you think Hugo's going to get placed?" he asked with interest, tilting his head towards her little brother.

"I don't know," she said honestly, "but I bet he'd like to be in Ravenclaw with Meera, if he can keep his _jealousy_ under control that is."

She and Scorpius grinned at one another and looked across the table to where their friend had been staring across The Great Hall to Lorcan all evening. The two of them were _definitely_ an item, the "sloppiness" on the train had proved as much, though they hadn't admitted it to their friends yet. Lysander had well and truly let the kneazle out of the bag on the train.

Rose and Scorpius watched further students get sorted into Hufflepuff and Slytherin and several more into Ravenclaw before Hugo finally had his turn. Rose sat up straighter again as her brother sat on the wooden stool with a cheeky grin on his freckled face.

"_Another _Weasley!" the hat said with an amused chuckle; "I think… Gryffindor!"

Rose saw the toothy beam spread across her Hugo's face as he hopped off the stool and hurried to join his cousins. She clapped as she caught his eye and smiled at him, though couldn't help feeling disappointed he wouldn't be joining their table. She felt Scorpius prod her in the side once more; "what?" she asked him, seeing his mischievous grin.

"You're well and truly the black sheep of the Weasley family," he muttered teasingly under his breath; "everyone else in your family got sorted into _Gryffindor_. It's nice that I'm not the only bad apple around here…"

Rose couldn't help laughing at his astute, if incorrect statement, glad he was at least smiling once more and turned eagerly to her plate as the feast began.

**HPHPHPHPHP**

After the feast was over, the Ravenclaws climbed the stairs to their tower, groaning at how full they felt. Not too full for sweets though, as soon bags were opened in the common room and a frantic game of wizardopoly was under way in one corner, cards in another and chess in another. Rose joined in the game of wizardopoly, yet was soon thrashed by Lysander who was surprisingly good at cleaning everyone else out when it came to property games and bought two hotels in Diagon and Knockturn Alley respectively, not to mention charged _extortionate_ amounts of fake galleons when people landed on his other spaces. It was hours later when the prefects finally instructed people to start getting ready for bed, in preparation of classes the next day, though Rose noticed Scorpius lingering behind on the couch. He'd not joined in any of the games all evening, preferring to read a book, though she'd noticed he hadn't turned any of the pages all night. He looked pretty downcast again, and she didn't think talk of quidditch strategies would cheer him up like they usually did. Rose being Rose, she wanted to get to the bottom of the matter.

"Are you ok?" she asked him softly, sitting down beside him on the long, cushion-strewn couch as the common room began emptying; "you've been unnaturally quiet all day, especially on the train. I was worried. _And_ you didn't eat any strawberry cheesecake at the feast- that's your favourite!"

Scorpius shrugged despondently.

"Is this about your summer?" Rose prodded gently, "did something happen at Malfoy Manor? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I don't mind."

"It was awful," Scorpius admitted bluntly, putting down the astronomy book he'd not been reading; "Rose, my mum and dad had a _big_ argument with my grandfather, on my mum's birthday of all days. None of them are speaking and whilst I can't say it bothers me not to have to see Lucius, I don't like seeing my mum and dad miserable."

Rose hugged her knees as they stared into the crackling fire, seeing the visible tension emanating from her friend. "What happened Scorp?"

"Same old row," he said gloomily, "over me. Being in Ravenclaw. My friends. You know, the usual. It all came to a head at my mum's birthday dinner. It was a bloody nightmare."

Rose looked sad thinking back to how miserable he'd been a couple of years previously at Christmas after spending the holidays at Malfoy Manor then too; "he really does find it hard to accept you aren't in Slytherin, doesn't he?" she realised.

"He's so bloody disappointed I'm not like him!" Scorpius burst out heatedly, "even my _dad _used to be a _bit_ like him but he's changed and now Lucius doesn't have any allies when he's being rude and looking down on people and he's so mad about that. He has some kind of fixation with getting me out of Hogwarts and into Durmstrang or some other school that looks at the dark arts. He says—he says Hogwarts is 'ruining me.'"

Roses' mouth dropped open; "that's ridiculous!" she protested.

"He _still_ thinks he's better than everyone else," Scorpius admitted sadly, "even after everything that's happened in the past. I just don't understand it. He's still bloody obsessed with being a pureblood and being a Slytherin!"

"He _can't_ expect you to be like him," Rose said quietly, "not after what happened in the past—I mean, he surely can't think it's a good thing to alienate people just because of their heritage?"

"He does," Scorpius sighed, his eyes distant; "my mum and dad ended up dragging me out of there right in the middle of dinner and flooing straight back to the cottage. They aren't responding to owls and my grandfather hates being ignored more than anything else in the world and it makes him angrier than ever. It's a huge feud. The worst disagreement ever I think."

"I thought the war and him being sent to—to Azkaban humbled him?" Rose said uncertainly. Certainly, from stories she'd heard from her parents and Uncle Harry, the Malfoy's had even joined the celebrations in the Great Hall following the Battle of Hogwarts and Lucius had seemingly appeared to renounce his death eater status in favour of his family.

Scorpius snorted; "it did humble him, for about five bloody minutes," he reported. "My grandfather is fickle Rose. Once my dad left Hogwarts and joined the Ministry of Magic, Lucius went off on another one of his rants. He seemed to think my dad was disgracing the family _then_, too. He's always said Malfoy's "don't need to work." Can you _believe_ that? They didn't speak then for months either. They only started talking again just before my dad married my mum."

"I'm sorry Scorp," Rose said simply.

"The argument in the summer was really bad," Scorpius said sombrely, "Lucius suggested that perhaps I attend some sort of Wizarding Academy in Holland when I leave Hogwarts and my mum and dad said that whatever I wanted to do was up to me. That's how the whole squabble started…"

...

It was Astoria's annual birthday dinner at Malfoy Manor and Scorpius thought his mum looked ever so lovely in her pretty blue dress robes. His dad couldn't stop smiling at her and made excuses to touch throughout the meal, even if it was just caressing her hand whilst they sipped their drinks, or a touch that lingered whilst he passed her the bread basket. Scorpius wasn't into any of that romance stuff, but _did_ think it was rather touching to see his parents looking so happy, not that he'd admit it out loud of course. It _was_ a bit yucky and soppy but his mum and dad still loved each other after all these years and that was quite nice, wasn't it? Rose told him her mum and dad were always 'slobbering over each other' too, it was nice to know it wasn't just _his_ parents who acted like hormonal teenagers sometimes.

Narcissa and Lucius sat facing him at the table that was big enough for at least twenty people yet was ridiculously set for only five. It was adorned in a completely over-the-top tablecloth made from laced fairy wings and set with an _absurd_ amount of silver cutlery and large china dinner plates. Scorpius blanched at the amount of glass and cutlery glinting up at him. So much stuff here appeared to be breakable- as usual- and if he smashed anything, his grandmother would simply have a fit!

The meal, prepared by the army of house elves, was exceptional- filet mignon and crisp seasonal vegetables with thick gravy and any number of sauces. Scorpius had just taken his first bite of steak when Lucius launched his first attack.

"So Scorpius, have you decided what you want to do when you graduate from that school?" He said 'school' like it left a bitter taste in his mouth and Scorpius instantly sensed an unwanted conversation impending.

He swallowed his meat trying to think of the best response; "um, not yet," he said, flicking his eyes to his mother and father who were looking wary. "But I do like potions and astronomy a lot and--"

"_I _have an excellent suggestion," Lucius interjected smoothly and Scorpius felt his stomach tighten at the look in his glinting eyes, "a friend of mine is setting up a Wizarding Academy in Holland with a particular focus on dark magic and--"

"No," Draco immediately cut in; "Father, please. Not tonight."

"Draco, I am just informing Scorpius of his options for the future," Lucius said lightly, "merely _informing_ him, where's the harm in that? His present school is ruining him, putting him in that stupid house of all places…"

"My son will not be attending _any_ academy with a focus on dark magic," Astoria cut in, her voice just as light as his; "and whatever he wants to do with his future, that is his choice and his alone. He has years to think about it after all."

"Astoria, surely you cannot think that a mere _boy_ is capable of making decisions about his future?" Lucius interjected with a dry laugh. "Such an academy could be the making of him."

"My son is fine as he is," Draco said harshly; "he will not going to Holland or anywhere else. That is why we objected to sending him to Durmstrang."

"But surely if the choice is up to _him_," Lucius began slyly, darting a sideways glance at his grandson whose shoulders were hunched and eyes alarmed.

Astoria set down her fork with a clatter; "please let's not do this now," she said, though her voice contained a hint of danger. "I won't have my birthday dinner ruined with talk of dark arts and schools in Holland. Scorpius, please pass the potatoes."

Scorpius obeyed his mother; feeling subdued all of a sudden. For once, just for once he'd actually thought the evening might have been ok, yet once again his grandfather had spoiled it.

"How are your little friends at Hogwarts, Scorpius?" Lucius asked him casually five minutes later as he dabbed at his mouth with a napkin; "I understand you are friends with the mudblood's daughter."

Scorpius paused, his fork midway to his mouth, his eyes widening in complete shock that someone could refer to Rose's mum in such a manner. He was about to protest but to his surprise, his father got there first.

"That's it!" Draco threw down his own napkin furiously, his eyes flashing, "are you deliberately trying to antagonise me father, and spoil the evening? Ruin my wife's birthday? My son's friends have _nothing_ to do with you."

"I was just saying—"

"I know what you were 'just saying' Lucius," Astoria looked angrier than Scorpius had ever seen her; "Scorpius is entitled to choose his own friends and I will not have you deliberately goading my husband and son in this way. It is not right."

"Draco?" Lucius laughed ironically; "_he_ used to tease the Mudblood just as much as anybody else!"

Draco's eyes were flashing dangerously; "is it any wonder that I thought that anything less than a pureblood was disgusting, with the way you raised me?"

"I raised you as a _Malfoy_!" Lucius suddenly banged the table, upsetting his crystal glass of wine which soaked immediately into the cloth, yet no one even noticed; "you are raising your son as—as some kind of weakling who befriends muggles and half-bloods! It is unacceptable. That is not the way I raised _you_, Draco."

Draco stood, commanding; Scorpius was frightened at the sheer intensity in his father's eyes all of a sudden. "You _raised _me as someone who others feared," he told Lucius levelly, "as someone who couldn't understand there was a difference between right and wrong, because 'wrong' was always the way. You raised me to be a racist, a bigot and a bully; someone who other's _despised_. Is it so ridiculous that I do not want my son being raised in the same way? That I do not want him subjected to dark magic? That I want him to understand that there is always a choice? A choice you never gave _me_?"

Scorpius gripped the edge of the table, feeling dizzy at this altercation, yet at the same time he had never been prouder of his dad, for standing up to Lucius in such a way. His mother too, was looking at her husband, pride radiating in her eyes. Narcissa wore a sour expression as she sipped her wine. She offered no comment, her wrinkled face merely scowling.

"I truly thought you had learned your lesson after the war, father," Draco continued bitterly, "after everything. It pains me to see that you are still as cold and manipulative as you ever were."

"How DARE you talk to me like that?" Lucius spat, his fists clenched. "He's my grandson and I have every right to think of his future and his associates—"

"You need to understand that things _aren't_ like they were twenty-two years ago," Astoria told him softly, standing up too; "blood rivalry isn't of consequence anymore. The only people it matters to are men like you, who still think being a pureblood counts as something special and doesn't understand that everyone is just the same: people. I pity you, Lucius. We have brought our son up in the way you _should_ have raised Draco, and we are very proud of him."

Draco placed a hand on his son's shoulder assuringly; "come on Scorpius, we're leaving."

"Don't you DARE walk away from me!" Lucius stormed as they made their way to the vast fireplace.

Draco turned to face his father calmly though his eyes betrayed his upset; "I should have walked away from you a long time ago…"

The three of them stepped into the fireplace and with a whoosh of green flames; they left Malfoy Manor far behind them.

...

"Gosh," Roses' eyes were simply huge as Scorpius finished retelling the events of his mother's birthday, leaving out the part about 'mudblood's' of course; "and your mum and dad _really_ just walked away from him?"

Scorpius nodded silently.

"Gosh," Rose said again; "that's bloody brilliant! You must have been so proud of them for standing up to him like that."

A small smile tugged Scorpius' lips at the notion that Rose could always make him smile, no matter how bad he was feeling. "Yeah, I was. I really was."

What never occurred to Scorpius at that point in time though, was that such a disagreement with Lucius Malfoy might possibly have consequences in future. As he sat with Rose, looking through his astronomy textbook he pushed the row to the back of his mind and focused instead on what his third year at Hogwarts might bring.

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **Phew, another long chapter! I tried to split it into two parts but it worked better as one I think, especially with the jump in time. Thanks so much for reading if you made it through the whole chapter and please let me know what you think! Reviews are a fanfic writers only payment after all!! I'm also going on holiday for a couple of weeks so the next post will be slightly delayed, but hopefully the content will make up for it, and I'll try and get two chapters up together if I can. Next chapter: more evil!Lucius.


	9. An altercation with Lucius

**An**** altercation with Lucius- Ch8**

**Disclaimer: **See ch1.

* * *

After Scorpius' moodiness about his grandparents and the family argument at the initial start of term, the next couple of weeks quickly sped by and life at Hogwarts soon got back to normal as Scorpius relaxed once more and sank in to his studies. Like Lorcan had said on the train, getting to drop some of their more tiresome subjects and pick classes they knew they'd actually enjoy made a big difference to the new third years, and soon Scorpius was absorbed in astronomy and potions once more. He found muggle studies absolutely fascinating too and was very interested in the structure of the British government, their national health service, and discovered that even small things like how cars worked and what electricity was, were highly interesting to him, much to Roses' amusement, who speculated he'd get on with her grandfather Arthur absolutely brilliantly.

Quidditch practices too, were soon back on and the Ravenclaws' first game that term was scheduled to be against Hufflepuff. Rose and Scorpius spent hours practicing on the quidditch pitch once more and pretty soon it felt like they'd never been away from the school at all and the events of summer soon became a distant memory.

"Are your mum and dad coming to the first quidditch match?" Rose asked Scorpius one day as they soared on their brooms, waiting for that day's practice to get under way.

"Unless dad gets called away at work again then they'll be here," Scorpius replied, impatiently waiting for the snitch to be released. "What about yours?"

"Not the first one," Rose looked a bit disappointed. "My mum has to go to some curse-breaking conference in Madrid and my dad's decided to go with her. 'Second honeymoon' he said," she gave a little roll of her eyes at the inferred suggestions _that _phrase connotated, her parents could be so bloody sloppy at times; "never mind, maybe our parents will talk at the next match instead. There's always a chance."

Both Rose and Scorpius would have loved for their parents to talk to one another, for Rose's sharp eyes couldn't help noticing that whilst Mr Malfoy always sat as far away from her parents as he could whenever both families attended the student's games, he _did_ look over at them from time to time in the stand, the expression in his own eyes more than a little awkward. Her mum and dad never noticed as they never looked in his direction at all though. Rose and Scorpius both suspected that should the opportunity arise, Mr Malfoy would possibly like to extend a real olive branch to the Weasley's for what had happened to them all in the past, but like Scorpius himself, he was probably rather stubborn and wouldn't make the _first_ move.

The two teenagers often despaired of their parents as they couldn't imagine _not_ being friends now, yet knew that the past had set a precedent for the adults and the actions that had taken place could not just merely be erased with a single apology. It would take a lot more than _that_- something dramatic probably. Mr Malfoy however, was _always_ relatively nice to Rose whenever he saw her at the school, even though she guessed it was probably difficult for him to come back there so often, given past circumstances, yet she knew undoubtedly that he didn't mind she and his son being friends in the slightest. Scorpius once explained to her that that was because he had been brought up to always make his own choices, unlike his father; her own parents too, were polite to _Scorpius _(though her dad had been somewhat reserved at first), so why couldn't they all just make peace with each other? Honestly, she just didn't understand adults at all.

"Maybe," Scorpius said blithely in response to her wish, with a hopeful smile of his own, shoving her teasingly as the quaffle was released into the air, "off you go, Rose. Less chatter, more chasing!"

**HPHPHPHP**

The first game of quidditch against Hufflepuff was actually something of a formality and neither Rose nor Scorpius were actually too worried about it- Ravenclaw had beaten the other house two years solid, each time Scorpius catching the snitch after only a few minutes, and no one was in any doubt that they'd be victorious again _this_ time, though Scorpius privately hated it when people just naturally assumed they'd win, much as he ventured bravado in front of his mates too. He knew anything could happen-quidditch was highly unpredictable at the best of times.

Something happened on the day of the game though, that instantly took his thoughts of the match ahead- a rather unpleasant conversation with Headmistress McGonagall as it happened, which caused his stomach to lurch at what she discretely told him when she caught up to him outside the library. After he'd speedily gotten changed into his match gear, feeling upset and discomfited, he immediately headed off to find Rose. She could always make him feel better.

Rose had just left the changing rooms in her own blue and bronze robes when she bumped straight into Scorpius who was loitering outside.

"Oh!" she said, startled, almost dropping her broom. She then eyeballed him suspiciously and put her hands on her hips, "what are you doing outside the _girls_ changing rooms, Scorp?"

She'd been joking but he didn't even crack a smile or look abashed. He looked even paler than usual she realised now, and Rose quickly felt concern mounting in her. He'd never been bothered by a game against _Hufflepuff_ before- their tactics were simply rubbish after all, so why was he looking so upset now?

"I was waiting for _you_," he mumbled, lifting his head, his eyes a steely grey; "my mum and dad aren't coming today after all. My dad's been called away on business and my mum's had to go into St Mungo's."

"Oh," Rose sensed his visible disappointment; like her own mum and dad, the Malfoy's had made nearly every single one of Scorpius' games since the first year and she knew that having his dad in the stands always willed her friend to do his best; "oh, that's a shame."

Scorpius shook his head slowly; "no Rose, you don't understand…" his voice was dry with a sudden note of panic, "my—my _grandfather's _turned up instead for some reason. McGonagall just told me."

"Lucius?" Rose asked incredulously, "_here at Hogwarts?_"

After everything, Lucius Malfoy was back. She was startled and it showed. She knew the senior Malfoy hadn't been back at Hogwarts since the end of the war, more than twenty years earlier. With what Scorpius had told her about the senior Malfoy's preferences for schools in the dark arts, she was honestly surprised_ he_ had ever studied there at all and nonetheless sent Draco, too.

Scorpius nodded miserably and leaned back against the crumbling stone wall; "I don't understand what he's playing at," he said anxiously, "I haven't even seen him since my mum's birthday. The fact he'd turn up here now when they haven't is a bit… well, it seems like too much of a coincidence to me. What on earth is he playing at? He always swore after everything-- he'd never come back here. He said he hated Hogwarts."

Rose privately agreed with Scorpius and was now relieved her own parents weren't attending this game either, as the thought of any kind of confrontation with them and the senior Malfoy after so long was unpleasant enough, but she didn't voice her opinions out loud. Instead she said; "maybe he wants to apologise to you for the things he said at your mum's dinner. Admit he was wrong and all that."

"Or maybe he wants to piss my _dad_ off even more," Scorpius responded waspishly, raking a distressed hand through his blond hair. "This is nothing to do with me _or_ my quidditch game. He just wants it to get back to my dad that he turned up at Hogwarts to see me I reckon, which it _will_ of course. He's just using me as a pawn in his little vendetta because my mum and dad made him so angry by not listening to _him_ about the other schools or furthering my "education" in the Dark Arts."

"He's honestly that manipulative?" Rose asked as she uncertainly fiddled with the collar of her robes and biting her lip. "Is your grandmother with him?"

"He can be manipulative, very," Scorpius replied with a tired sigh, "he doesn't like not getting his own way. I told you he was a hard man to love. He's an even harder man to _like. _And no, grandmother isn't here. Not that that's entirely surprising. The thought of her turning up to a school quidditch game is barmy."

"Don't let him psyche you out," Rose cautioned him, hearing Hooch blow her whistle in the distance, the signal for the teams to head to the pitch as they started walking. "And try not to think the worst, Scorp. I know it's hard to believe, but he might honestly just want to watch you play. He is your grandfather after all." She found it hard to believe she was defending Lucius Malfoy, but she hated seeing her friend so miserable and would have done anything to cheer him up at that moment. He looked so crestfallen.

In the end, Roses' encouraging words fell on deaf ears. Scorpius, for the first time ever, made some absolutely spectacular fumbles. He nearly lost his balance on his broom twice in midair, causing some raised eyebrows from the opposing team, and couldn't seem to keep his mind on the game long enough to even spot the snitch in the first place; the rest of the Ravenclaw players had to really work to cover for him and his mistakes and it showed in their own performance too. Sullivan, who was captain since Flynn's departure, actually called for a timeout and zoomed over to his seeker, eyeing him with concern. He actually asked if Scorpius was ill, his playing was that poor today.

Scorpius shook his head, crestfallen at his own dwindling skills and how he was letting down his teammates. "No… it's—" he bit his lip and then ducked his head in embarrassment; "my—my grandfather's here watching, I suppose it's making me a little bit uncomfortable. I don't know why he's turned up all of a sudden. Sorry. I'll do better, I promise."

Light dawned in Sullivan's hazel eyes and he darted a quick look up to the parent-teacher stand where the white-blond hair of Lucius Malfoy was clearly distinguishable, though they couldn't see the expression on his face from here. The man was notorious by reputation after all and even Sullivan was curious as to his presence now. All of the quidditch team were seemingly aware of the rift in the Malfoy family and of Scorpius' feelings of distaste towards his grandfather- Scorpius made no secret of the fact that he was very different to him.

Hooch tersely blew her whistle again and Rose exchanged a glance with Scorpius. He met her eyes and shrugged, though she realised to her dismay that he looked pensive once more.

"Ignore him!" Rose mouthed helplessly, before turning her broom to her own starting position.

Scorpius gritted his teeth as he zoomed upwards. _That_ was easier said than done. What a stupid thing to say: _no one_ could ignore Lucius Malfoy!

**HPHPHPHP**

Somehow, by some miracle, Scorpius actually caught the snitch in the end, though it took him twice as long as it usually did to finish the game this time. The Ravenclaw stand was ecstatic and as the team clambered off their brooms, two hundred and eighty points ahead, sweaty and incredibly tired, Rose squeezed her friend's arm with relief. "You managed to turn it around after all. Well done. I thought we'd still be out here tomorrow morning."

Scorpius still looked dejected however as he met her eyes, and a little bit embarassed; "I can't believe I let him get to me so much! I feel like such a prat."

Rose's eyes were comiserating and she wrinkled her nose, bumping him with her hip consolingly as they headed up the hill, drawing a little smile from him in return.

The two of them followed the rest of the team and the student body out of the stadium and were almost up at the changing rooms, when Scorpius heard his grandfather's voice. The cold, unfriendly tones sent a little shiver to his spine and he turned around, woodenly.

Sure enough, Lucius was stood behind him, holding his silver cane and dressed imperiously in his green and silver robes. Scorpius felt Rose tense beside him as he eyed the Slytherin colours with trepidation mounting. Lucius was making no secret of his own house preference, even now, Scorpius thought with disgust, though glad the match had been against the Hufflepuff's and not his father's old house. _That _would have made for interesting conversation indeed. Why had he ever thought his grandfather had changed? And why on earth was he here at Hogwarts, when he'd made no secret of the fact he favoured schools that concentrated on the dark arts instead? Bloody hell, if Lucius was that obsessed about it, he should have attended one himself! Scorpius shuddered, knowing that could have been even more lethal.

"Grandf—I mean, Lucius," he said smoothly as he quickly corrected himself, determined to remain calm, though his mind was whirring. "What an unexpected surprise." He finger-combed his sweaty hair, knowing Lucius hated it when he looked in any way ruffled or un-groomed and unable to prevent himself from at least _trying_ to appear less dishevelled.

"Quite," Lucius replied, his eyes instead drifting to an equally sweaty Rose and darkening momentarily; "I thought since your parents were otherwise engaged, I would attend the game instead and show my support, though of course I would not wave a blue scarf. Not even for you, I'm afraid. Your grandmother would have come too, but she is otherwise engaged. Some luncheon or other."

That was Narcissa in a nutshell of course: she spent whatever time she could away from Malfoy Manor and Scorpius didn't blame her one bit. The matriarch and patriarch of the family were rarely seen together nowadays, unless it was mutually beneficial to the both of them of course, but Scorpius didn't dwell on the shaky condition of his grandparent's marriage. He sometimes wondered if other grandparents had marriages like that, given that his mothers parents had died when he was a baby and he'd never known them, but from what Rose herself had told him, _her _grandparents still loved each other very much. She was lucky.

He infact narrowed his eyes slightly instead now as he analysed what he'd just heard, "you know my parents schedules I see? I didn't think they were even speaking to you anymore."

"I was aware your father was called away on business, yes," Lucius replied, looking slightly amused at the challenging tone, "and I heard that there had been a broomstick collision over the M25, so I naturally assumed your mother would be called into St Mungo's to deal with the crisis…" he eyed his grandson with bemusement, "allay your suspicions, Scorpius. I merely wanted to see you play quidditch and see if you are as good as your father _thinks_ you are. That is all. Nothing sinister as you seem to think. Relax boy."

Scorpius relaxed his shoulders slightly, feeling rather foolish for his deep distrust. Maybe Rose was right: he was just here to watch him play quidditch after all. Maybe he even wanted to try and make amends for his behavior at his mother's birthday dinner. "Sorry. Did you enjoy yourself?"

"It was… entertaining," Lucius deduced, "though I would have thought you would catch the snitch a lot sooner than you did." There was a sudden malevolent gleam in his eyes but Scorpius refused to rise to the bait. He wouldn't give Lucius the satisfaction of getting as riled up as his father always did, he knew that was what the older man wanted deep down, even if he pretended otherwise. He always seemed to derive some kind of perverse pleasure out of winding people up. After all, he was a Slytherin.

"I was… somewhat distracted," Scorpius responded instead, lifting his chin.

Rose looked at him then, caught his eye and gestured to say she was about to go to the changing rooms, Scorpius cast her a little smile and nodded reservedly. It was just as Rose was leaving and walking away from them however that Lucius raised his voice slightly and said; "I am _amazed_ they let the mudblood's daughter play on the same team as _pureblood_ wizards. There must surely be more high calibre players they could select, Scorpius? Ones of _good _breeding? Soon I imagine there may be giants and werewolves flying around here on brooms, too. I despair of this school, honestly I do. You would never get this occurring at Durmstrang, for example."

Scorpius stood there in complete and utter shock, his mind whirring and unable to believe what he had just heard. He was absolutely gobsmacked. _I can't believe he just said that. I should have known. I can't believe I was actually willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. _

He knew immediately that Rose had heard him too, for she stiffened momentarily before continuing on her way, though walking somewhat dazedly. The remark had been pointed and thrown in Roses' direction for a reason and Scorpius knew instantly that his grandfather had said it deliberately just so that Rose could hear it. His grey eyes instantly flashed with hot anger in defence of his friend. "Don't," he snapped, "don't ever say that. You have _no right_ coming here and coming out with those ridiculous, bigoted remarks like you do at home! Just for once, I thought you were here to be nice and be decent enough to actually care about me. You're just here because you know it's going to wind my dad up, aren't you? I knew it!"

Rose, to her credit, carried on walking up the grassy hill, though her shoulders had slumped noticeably and her broom arm had dropped defeatedly. Scorpius, who knew her so well, had no doubt that her eyes would probably be filled with tears too, though she wouldn't dream of challenging the older man by response. Not now, anyway. In the past couple of months, she seemed to have lost confidence in herself somewhat, which was something Scorpius hated to see and he didn't quite know why. She never seemed to want to talk about it.

Lucius laughed and his lips curled up in a derisive sneer, "I was just teasing, Scorpius. Where's your sense of fun?"

"_Fun_?" his eyes widened incredulously, "making fun of my friends? Humiliating me by turning up here when you know everyone will talk about you? What exactly about that is 'fun' to you?"

"I came here to see if maybe you had changed your mind," Lucius intervened smoothly.

"Changed my mind?" Scorpius looked bewildered now, though his main emotion was overriding fury of course, "changed my mind about what?"

"About my friend's new academy in Holland. It is certainly on a par with the teachings of Durmstrang after all and their study modules are far more advanced than Hogwarts. I thought that perhaps you may have seen sense over the past couple of months."

Scorpius gaped at his grandfather in disbelief; "_that's_ why you're really here? To persuade me into attending that school? Did you not listen to my mother and father at all? There's no way I'm ever going to--"

"I thought that perhaps without your parents influence, you would be more… amenable," Lucius countered smoothly, as he smoothed back a strand of his platinum hair.

"Then you thought wrong!" Scorpius snapped angrily, clenching his fists and glaring up at him, with all the anger he could muster, "there's no bloody _way_ I'm leaving Hogwarts. I love it here! I love my lessons and my friends and--" he exhaled impatiently, "just leave. I don't want to do this anymore, there's no point."

"Scorpius!" Lucius' voice rose dangerously as his grandson turned his back on him, "don't walk away from me!"

But just like his father, Scorpius did. He ran infact, all the way back up to the school, desperately searching for Rose, his breathing coming in faster spurts in his panic. So much for not getting 'riled up.' It seemed that Lucius knew exactly the right things to say to push his buttons, after all. It was despicable what he had said about Rose and her mum, and Rose would probably be simply furious with him now. He couldn't blame her; he should have known Lucius was only there with the intention of causing trouble all along.

**HPHPHPHP**

Rose wasn't at the girl's changing rooms (he sent someone in to look for her) nor in the bustling common room, at Hagrid's hut or even in the library and Scorpius racked his brains to think where else she could possibly be. Finally he cottoned on to the idea of doubling back to the quidditch pitch, and sure enough there she was: sitting up in one of the empty stands overlooking the grass, her red hair hung limply in her face and her shoulders hunched over miserably as she hugged her knees. His heart sank at how upset she looked as he tentatively headed up the stairs towards her. He wouldn't blame her if she started screaming at him or yelling. What his grandfather had said had been terrible and he felt so ashamed.

"Rose?"

She looked up, startled and he saw that her eyes were red and swollen. Embarrassed to have been caught crying and with a snotty nose and even wilder hair than usual, she furiously brushed at her face. "Hi," she mumbled quietly.

"C—can I sit down?"

She nodded mutely.

"Rose, I'm so sorry!" Scorpius burst out, "please don't hate me! I'm so sorry for what he said about you—"

Rose looked bewildered, "why would I hate you for what _he_ said? I heard you defend me."

"I know but—"

"Scorp, it's ok," Rose smiled hesitantly as she slipped her hand in his to pacify him and he looked a bit surprised though he didn't pull away as sure enough he gradually felt himself calming down; "it's not your fault and you were right about him all along. He came here just to cause trouble, didn't he?"

"He actually admitted he came here to try and talk me into attending that bloody academy in Holland again," Scorpius confessed, feeling embarrassed at the older Malfoy's ludicrous behaviour as he tentatively linked his fingers around hers, "I suppose he thought I'd be a bit more open to the idea without my mum and dad around. He doesn't realise that I have a mind of my own, I reckon. He was always able to coax my dad into doing anything he wanted, when dad was my age after all."

Roses' mouth fell open incredulously as she wiped at her damp cheeks with her free hand once more, "of all the sneaky, lousy, _manipulative_--" she burst out hotly; "just who does he think he is?"

"He's Lucius Malfoy," Scorpius replied quietly, "and unfortunately Rose, _they're _exactly the traits Malfoy's are best known for."

"Not you," Rose said immediately.

A small smile pulled at his lips. "No, not me," he confirmed, feeling slightly happier she wasn't going to hold a grudge against him for his grandfather's nasty, vacuous comment, "and not my dad either. Not anymore, anyway. Maybe he was known for being like that once, but not now."

"I'm glad," Rose said simply, squeezing his hand, which was now warm against hers, despite the slight breeze that blew around them as they sat high in the stands.

"I'm sorry for Lucius hurting you," Scorpius said softly. The memory caused both he and Rose to wince, noticeably.

"We're—we're always going to be friends though, aren't we?" Rose asked, looking up at him through tear-filled blue eyes once more, even as she tried to blink them away, "no matter _what_ your grandfather says? _You _don't care that I'm not a pureblood, do you?" The thought of Scorpius not wanting to be friends with her anymore, hurt her more than anything else possibly could.

Scorpius understood why she'd felt the need to ask as he took in Roses' devastated face and her wobbling lower lip and just then he simply _hated_ his grandfather for making her feel so worthless when she'd already been feeling bad enough about herself as it was.

"Of course we'll always be friends," he promised simply, pulling her into a tight hug for the very first time as she buried her face in his chest in fierce relief; "and I don't care one little bit if you're not a pureblood, or if you're a half-giant or even a bloody _flobberworm_ for that matter. We'll always be friends Rose, _always_."

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **Thanks for reading and waiting a bit longer for this post- it was a really difficult chapter to write for some reason, maybe because I've already got later chapters written already and this is something of a 'bridging' chapter for me, but I hope you like it anyway! Please review!!

Next chapter will be up next week, or sooner if I can (I'd hoped to post two at once, but it's taking forever to type up!), and things for Scorpius and Draco take a further turn for the worst…


	10. Lucius' vendetta

**Lucius' Vendetta-Ch9**

**Disclaimers: **See Ch1.

* * *

**July, 2019**

"I just can't wait to have Scorp back home for the summer," Astoria told her husband with a big smile as he followed her upstairs early one Friday afternoon. She placed a stack of fluffy, just washed towels in the warm linen cupboard and used her wand to adjust the temperature slightly, emitting several puffs of hot steam from the fabric; "it's going to be so nice to have him back here with us again for a little while."

Draco leaned back against the wooden banister, suppressing a smile at how happy his wife looked at their son's impending arrival home from Hogwarts that day, she could be just as exuberant as a child at times.

"I was thinking that maybe we could all go camping for a few days," he suggested idly as he folded his arms and arched a brow, gauging her reaction, "maybe floo over to Giants Causeway and do some hiking, oh and there's a wizard music festival on in Wales next week that Scorp might like- all that angsty rock music he tends to favour nowadays with depressed wailing teenagers banging drums, strumming lutes and such. Not _my_ cup of tea by any means, but he'll be more than happy to go and listen to the rabble, I'm sure."

"You old softy you," Astoria leaned up and brushed a fond kiss to her husband's smooth cheek as she shut the cupboard door, knowing fine well he'd already probably purchased the tickets; "the concert, that's a brilliant idea... and as for the hiking, that sounds lovely, Ireland is beautiful at this time of year, so we're all set. _If_ I can find Scorp's hiking boots that is…"

"Try under his bed," Draco suggested with a bemused grin, "that's where most of his other stuff ends up because he's running out of space in there."

"And whose fault is that?" Astoria teased him as she prodded his chest, "_you're_ the one who keeps buying him things that clutter up his bedroom, darling."

"Mea culpa," Draco said with a sneaky smile, looking down at his gold pocket watch expectantly- he _was_ unable to resist spoiling his son at times which tended to incur his wife's wrath at her fear that Scorpius may grow up to be as spoiled as he had once been. It was a fear that was proving to be unfounded however, both of them knew that their son was being raised well and that a quidditch magazine now and then, or a new book would do their son no harm.

"I'd better set off soon, Tori, I need to stop by the Ministry with the paperwork that needs signing and I want to be at Kings Cross in time to meet Scorp's train. We should be back in a couple of hours," he slid his watch into his pocket and fastened the collar of his charcoal dress robes, smoothing them down smartly. He never liked to meet his son at the station looking anything less than utterly immaculate- he lived in fear of ever showing Scorpius up by turning up in rumpled garments or dated fashions. It was bad enough that he was already losing his hair for Merlin's sake. _Poor genes somewhere along the Malfoy line_, he always deduced grimly, that had indeed skipped a generation or two, for Scorpius' hair line wasn't remotely receding, nor would it ever by the looks of things and his own father still had _his_ long, golden locks.

"Ok love," Astoria replied squeezing his hand as she tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear, "I'd come with you but I'm going to finish cleaning upstairs-a final dust over of everything, and then I might spend a while in the greenhouse if I have time. The mandrakes will need re-potting soon, they're getting fidgety as they grow up; I was thinking Scorp would like to help me with them when he gets back."

"I'm sure he'd love to," Draco wrapped his arms around his wife affectionately as a thought suddenly struck him; "hey, you know… with Scorp being back in the house, we'll um, have to be a little quieter than we're used to. These bedroom walls aren't exactly thick…"

Astoria smirked up at him saucily, her beautiful eyes flashing with mirth as she pretended to be shocked at his gall; "_what _exactly are you implying, Mr Malfoy?"

"That you scream like a banshee in the bedroom," Draco replied impertinently with a completely straight face, patting her bum in a well-practiced gesture, "but don't worry Tori, it's understandable. This is _me _we're talking about, after all."

Astoria rolled her eyes at her husband's smug expression and deadpan voice but couldn't help laughing at his wit; "go and fetch our son you prat, _that's_ something we can put to the test later tonight."

Draco brushed his lips warmly to hers; "love you," he said softly, with a fondness in his eyes and a familiarity to his touch that demonstrated their deep-seeded closeness after so many happy years of marriage. "_Acio paperwork_…" the file he'd been working on for days triumphantly flew upstairs towards him and he caught it swiftly.

"Love you too," Astoria replied with a beaming smile, kissing him once more before he apparated with a loud crack and left the cottage behind him.

...

Astoria hummed an old Celestia Warbeck tune to herself as she smoothed the covers on her son's bed, knowing Draco would have teased her mercilessly for her choice in music. He literally couldn't stand the singer, blatantly labelling her as 'ghastly and screechy.' He himself much favoured classical songs without any vocals- once Scorpius was home the genres of music being played in the cottage would become even more eclectic.

She really couldn't wait to have her son home again- much as he sent a lot of owl's home (almost on a weekly basis was now a habit) and she and Draco made all the school quidditch matches they could (especially since the incident where Lucius had turned up- they'd both been _furious_ when they found out about the altercation and as a consequence, father and son still weren't speaking), she felt like she never fully absorbed all of his exciting news until he was back in the cottage with them. He was always so chatty and full of talking about his lessons and his friends… She was glad he was so happy there. She herself had loved Hogwarts and it made her smile to see how much her son loved it too and how well he was doing in all his lessons.

She plumped up the goose-feather pillows and looked around Scorpius' bedroom with a wry smile. It was tidy admittedly, but not pristine; he was much tidier than his father was actually, but she supposed it was to do with his predilection for organisation. He had so many books and bits and pieces arranged neatly so he wouldn't lose them. His bookcase was crammed full of ancient paperbacks, both fiction and reference, and he'd had to start stacking some of his books on his beloved window seat, he had so many. She kept telling Draco not to spoil him so, but when it came to his son, Draco had a real soft spot for buying him things. Especially books and quidditch magazines. The last several hundred issues of 'Quidditch Weekly' were pushed haphazardly under Scorp's bed infact. Astoria supposed it _could_ have been worse after all- it could have been dirty witch glamour magazines or the like. Still, she supposed _that_ was to come as he further progressed into his teens. The very thought made her smile with amusement and not for the first time she wondered what kind of man her son would grow into. A good one, even despite the occaisional chip on his shoulder, of that she had no doubt. It was something she and Draco often talked about, long into the night.

She lifted her head hearing a sudden loud cracking on the landing and then rolled her eyes. "What did you forget?" she called with a bemused smile straightening up again, "honestly Draco Malfoy… was it your portkey timetable again? You'd forget your head if it wasn't screwed on, love!"

With a grin, she checked Scorpius' bedroom to ensure it was tidy one more time, before walking out onto the narrow landing, her hands on her hips with exasperation, expecting to be met with her husband's sheepish expression.

Instead, her breath caught in her throat in sudden bewilderment and her warm, ready smile instantly faded; "what on earth are _you_ doing here? I thought you were abroad."

...

"Astoria," Lucius Malfoy's face was hard and coldly impersonal, his grey eyes glinting as he surveyed her; "I was rather hoping to talk to my son actually, being that he hasn't responded to a single owl I've sent to him for the past few months, not since that damn _quidditch_ match." He sneered, making his distinguished face look quite ugly all of a sudden; "I do not like being ignored, as I am sure you are well aware."

"He's not here," Astoria told him firmly as she placed her hands on her hips disparagingly once more, deducing that he was here for a petty disagreement; "but even if he _was_ Lucius, I doubt very much he'd want to talk to you yet. He's made his feelings on the matter of the 'quidditch match' very clear as _you_ are well aware of. He also does not like the way you try and interfere in the life of your grandson and how you automatically assume that you presume to know what is best for him and I feel that he is getting highly fed up of having the same old arguement with you. Just give it a rest. Please."

Lucius scowled and folded his arms almost petulantly and for a moment looked like a sulky schoolboy who had just lost a playground battle of tag; "my son doesn't know _what_ he wants. He never did, which is why I made so many decisions for him in the past. He was quite simply incapable of distinguishing between what was good for him and what was _right and honourable_. I see that Scorpius takes after him in that respect... he needs appropriate... guidance."

Astoria visibly bristled as she eyeballed him; "are you saying I am neglecting in my parental duties? Because I can _assure_ you Lucius that both Draco and myself--"

Lucius ploughed on, heedlessly, not even listening to her; "I myself, should have insisted Draco go to Durmstrang instead of—_that_ school when he was young and he would have became a stronger man. A man like me, who stands for his principals, principals set out by generations of Malfoys. He would be an entirely different person and maybe _then_ he would understand my feelings on _Scorpius_ and how he has not been raised as he should have been. It is far better for him to go to Holland and partake in an education there, I feel. It has a broader curriculum and there is no danger of him mingling with… people of an inferior class." His face broke into a scowl once more as he exhaled, discomfitted. "Hogwarts lets in any old riff-raff. It always has done. Dumbledore was a crackpot old fool and McGonagall is following in his footsteps, I see."

Astoria sighed at the realisation that despite everything that had happened with Voldemort and the Battle of Hogwarts so many years ago and more to the point even given the way Lucius had seemingly turned his _back_ on his former status, her father in law was still the egomaniacal dictator he'd always been, deep down. Thank god the ranks of the deatheaters had been fully disbanded, for no doubt he would have been chomping at the bit right now to rally the troops and try to force both Draco and Scorpius back into the group; "please do not bring my son into any more family arguments, Lucius. I can assure you that Scorpius is happy as he is. Please do not try and use him as some kind of… vendetta in your own ill-feelings towards Draco and his rebellion against you."

"My son _let me down_!" Lucius suddenly spat angrily, "it is no mere 'rebellion,' Astoria! Taking a job at the Ministry of all places and in that ridiculous department no less! _Improper use of magic!_ Turning his back on _me_ and what I taught him about what it really means to be from a distinguished family! A Malfoy is _always_ better than anyone else, that is a given fact. It's humiliating that he doesn't accept that teaching any longer... _Then_ he raises his own son to be less than a pure blood. It's simply disgusting." Lucius' mouth contorted around the words and his lined face was marred with aggression. Not for the first time, Astoria realised that this man and his half-cocked beliefs were what her husband had grown up with and a wave of sympathy washed over her, though she kept her face placid.

Astoria turned away from the older man and instead spoke mildly; "Lucius, please leave. Draco won't be back for hours and it's making me uncomfortable to have you here, especially when you are in this... irrational state of mind. I'm sorry, but you just aren't wanted. Give Draco a chance to cool down and then he may talk to you, should you be more reasonable. We're expecting Scorpius back home from school at any time soon and I need to finish tidying the house. Our house elf is taking some time off and--"

Lucius suddenly smiled maliciously and Astoria suddenly realised her first mistake lay in mentioning that her son would be home shortly; "is that right? Maybe I can wait and--"

"Scorpius doesn't want to see you either," Astoria told him bluntly, astounded he could be so thick-skinned and vindictive, "not after what happened at Hogwarts… at his quidditch game, though I hardly doubt you need reminding of your behaviour. He was deeply hurt and embarrassed by what you said to him, Lucius and how you treated his friend. You cannot honestly be surprised that neither of them wants anything more to do with you? Are you crazy?"

"Hurt _him_?" Lucius' voice rose several decibels suddenly and Astoria suspected that yes, he quite possibly _was_ bordering on crazy, "he has no idea of the meaning of the word. They're rejecting me outright without understanding that I have their best interests at heart! If only he and his father had listened to me from the start…"

"But they won't listen to you," Astoria said calmly as she tilted her chin and looked up at him, "because now your son knows his own mind and they know you are wrong, both in the way you treat people and in your expectations that class is still important. Much as it pains me to admit it, it took Draco long enough to stand up to you. Your grandson however, is a different story; he has always been strong, much stronger than his dad is. Please don't dwell in the past, Lucius. If you can accept that Scorpius is nothing like Draco and is unable to be manipulated and coerced into doing your bidding, then I imagine it will be better for everyone."

"Accept it?" an ugly expression crossed Lucius' face, "I don't have to accept anything. _I _am a Malfoy." He puffed his chest out imperiously, in a gesture that reminded Astoria of her own late father when he had attended board meetings at Gringotts- a look somewhere between struggled dignity and constipation. She bit back a smirk that threatened to cross her lips, wondering if Lucius had any idea what a pompous fool he looked.

"He is not your puppet, Lucius," Astoria warned him instead, lifting her head and meeting his eyes squarely once the smirk had abated, "and the reign of the death eaters and Lord Voldemort is long over."

"The need for grace and power will always be prevalent," Lucius snapped. "It is what society is founded upon."

"Power in class is no longer needed in the wizarding world," Astoria said softly, "not any more. What is it you really want?"

"I want my son and grandson to behave like Malfoy's! Like Purebloods!" Lucius screamed suddenly, as Astoria took a couple of hasty steps backwards, startled by the venom in his voice and his loss of control. She had never seen her father in law behave like this before. The expression in his steely eyes was almost manic and for the first time she actually felt a bit frightened of him.

"Lucius, please. Just let them be," Astoria implored him passionately as she walked towards the head of the staircase, appealing to a compassion she genuinely doubted existed in the older man any longer.

She gasped as Lucius suddenly grabbed hold of her arms from behind and shook her, hard. "You stupid girl! What do _you _know about anything? I have absolutely nothing, the family name is the only thing I have left! Why else do you think I am trying so hard to hold on to it? To protect it and what it stands for?"

"You have Narcissa..." Astoria's shoulder blades hurt as his fingers curled into them and despite herself she whimpered in pain.

"Oh yes... my wife," Lucius sneered, "my _beloved _wife, not to mention a son who _despises _me for being a death eater and a grandson who doesn't listen to a single word I say! I regret the day I was ever born! I should have died when the dark lord fell!" He released her then, breathing hard, almost shocked by his own tirade and the cruel words that had spilled so freely from his lips.

Astoria gasped as he let go of her, as realisation dawned across his face then she flailed backwards as her foot slid out from under her, and then suddenly she was falling.

Falling...

The expression in Lucius eyes was dumbfounded and shocked, yet he did nothing whatsoever to help her, to help his daughter in law. He just watched, his face hard set and stony as Astoria's heel caught on the top rung of the step as she scrabbled with her fingers, lunging at the bannister for any kind of grip to hold herself upright.

Too late...

she plunged down the rickety staircase headfirst, a startled cry emitting from her throat, hitting her head and grazing her body against the wall, her cries of pain stifled yet still seeming sharp in the stillness of the cottage.

Lucius could have easily cast a spell to stop her from falling or even reached out and grabbed her arm at that critical moment just before she tumbled. A simple 'wingardium leviosa' with a flick of his wand would have probably done the trick too, given what a powerful wizard he was, only he didn't. He didn't move one inch or extend his wand one iota to help her. Instead, Lucius Malfoy watched in perplexed silence as Astoria fell down the entire flight of stairs and then hit her head again, hard on the bottom step this time; her neck twisted in a grotesque manner, looking up at him as she suddenly lay still. Her legs were splayed in an undignified fashion and blood trickled from her lips.

The cracking of her neck had been audible in the silence and Lucius watched now, almost holding his own breath as his daughter in law's pained eyes finally rolled upwards and focused on his face from where he watched her in the shadows of the landing. Astoria's eyes were darkening immeasurably now in her palid face and the look of hatred she shot at Lucius was palpable. "--Draco--Scorp--" she breathed, her breath rattling in little gasps, her whisper accusing as her fingers flexed and twitched, as if trying to reach outwards once more, desperately clinging to life, to her final shreds of existence. "_No…_"

Then, as if it was a mere candle being snuffed out, the light in her eyes finally faded and died, and Astoria Malfoy lay still once more.

Stunned as he gazed down at the unmoving body of his daughter in law, Lucius thought fast, his heart racing quickly. There was nothing, no indication whatsoever to suggest he had ever been in the Devonshire cottage at all and that was the way he fully intended to keep it. He had long-distance aparated over from Asia whilst Narcissa lunched and shopped there with her immensely dull friends, hoping to see Draco and persuade him to reconsider Scorpius' schooling for the umpteeth time, and if he headed back to Hong Kong immediately, he could get back to their hotel room and she would be none the wiser about this little… adventure.

Taking one last look at Astoria whose motionless eyes still stared up at him spookily; he tried to quell his rather unnatural and unexpected feelings of panic as with a loud crack, he apparated and left Devon far, far behind him.

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **Please don't forget to review and let me know what you think! Thanks so much to those who have already, both the registered users and the anonymous ones who I can't reply to personally; they always brighten my day and I'm just glad people are reading and liking this story because I'm having a lot of fun with it! :)


	11. Tragedy at the cottage

**Tragedy at the cottage- Ch10**

**Disclaimers: **See CH1.

* * *

Scorpius was so excited to realise that it was _finally_ the end of the summer term; quidditch practices had been hectic lately, though worth it as Ravenclaw had won the quidditch cup _yet again_, but he couldn't wait to get back to Devon and just relax for a little while. Go walking on the beach, read his books… his favourite things to do in the entire world in his favourite place _in_ the world, he thought happily, though he would miss school and his friends of course. Especially Rose and Lysander. The three of them had developed an immensely close bond over the last couple of years, though he thought it was weird that one of his best friends was a girl sometimes.

As the group of friends found an empty carriage on the Hogwarts Express, talk soon turned to what everyone was doing that summer. Lorcan and Lysander were going to South America with their mum and dad for a couple of weeks, hunting for the elusive (though suspected to be extinct) Caracourlis lizard on a special assignment for The Quibbler, Meera was visiting relatives in Llandudno, Wales and Hugo was simply full of the fact that he was to be heading abroad with his dad tomorrow, who was commentating on the quidditch World Cup in Berlin. Rose wouldn't be joining them though; she'd decided to stay in Port Cicely with her mum who just couldn't get the necessary time off work.

"How come _you_ didn't want to go to the cup, too?" Lysander asked Rose, curiously as the train chuffed through the pleasant Scottish moors, ablaze with purple heather and sprinkled with fluffy sheep.

"There's a lot of extra reading I wanted to get done for next year," Rose explained matter of factly as Meera rolled her eyes and grinned at the a-typical Rose answer, "plus, the amount of quidditch I _play_, I thought it would be nice to have a little break from it for once. Besides, I can listen to all the commentary on the wireless and my dad's back before we come to school again and he'll floo-call me in the fireplace everyday he says."

Scorpius nodded in tantamount agreement, understanding her reasoning completely but Hugo looked positively aghast at the discussion and had even been jolted from his staring at Meera for a change. "You can _never_ have enough quidditch!" he protested looking horrified, his red hair almost standing on end, as they all laughed.

The train trundled merrily through the rugged countryside as Rose curled up sleepily, passing on the game of exploding snap proffered by Phillius and Albus and nibbling instead on a bar of butterscotch Honeydukes and gazing out of the window. She had a case full of wizard sweets to take home actually, having clearly inherited her dad's sweet tooth, and to her the readily available muggle confectionary in Cornwall was _nothing_ in comparison to the wizard stuff. It was the source of much interesting debate between her and Scorpius actually; he had a particular preference for Cadbury's crème eggs and maltesers- his mum sent him stuff like that all the time, though he was always eager to share it out.

By the time the Express finally arrived at Kings Cross many hours later it was fast approaching 5pm in the afternoon and Rose was feeling hot and lethargic from the sweaty carriage yet incredibly excited to see her mum and dad again. She and Hugo grabbed their things and disembarked the busy train, already squabbling over who _wouldn't_ sit next to Mr Weasley in the car journey back to Cornwall (he'd taken to driving a lot recently, just to prove a point to his wife). Rose just had enough time for one final quick hug with Scorpius before they both disappeared into the smokey station and a firm order for him to "owl me all the time! Especially if you find any brilliant new books to read!"

Scorpius moved at a more sedate pace however as he languidly retrieved his trunk and calmed down a clearly ruffled Thea as they climbed from the now quiet carriage. His dad was waiting there for him a little way down the crowded platform amidst the clusters of chattering parents and students, a big grin on his face.

"Hi dad!" Scorpius beamed as he dragged his trunk to a halt.

"Hi son," Draco was clearly amused at his son's much longer hair as he took hold of the owl's cage and gave him a one armed hug (Scorpius wasn't _yet_ at the stage where he was embarassed to embrace his father in public). "Good journey back? Bloody hell, I didn't know the Rapunzel look was back in fashion, Merlin, it's nearly past your ears! Your mother will have a fit!"

"S' ok," Scorpius said mildly, making a little face as he pushed back his hair, "long journey _as usual._ Always is before the summer holidays and Hugo kept wittering on and on about quidditch. He talks about it more than I do, silly sod..." though this was all said with some affection of course. He had a fondness for Roses' little brother, who seemed to have some kind of hero-worship thing going on with him and hung on his single every word about quidditch. Scorpius didn't mind the adulation though, he'd always wanted a little brother or sister actually; it got a bit lonely being an only child sometimes.

"Ah yes, the European Cup," Draco drawled dryly, "no doubt Weasel- I mean _Weasley's_ face will be plastered all over the Prophet in the upcoming weeks and his dreary voice will be droning from WWN as we are subjected to his inane commentaries once more.."

Scorpius smiled, knowing his dad only half-meant it. When there was a match on that they physically couldn't get to, they listened to the wireless just as much as anybody else did and both of them happened to enjoy Mr Weasley's witty commentary that was _always_ punctuated with cries of "bloody hell! What does that ref think he's playing at?" or "Foul! Blatant foul! Come on, I could do better myself, you prat!"

"He thinks England is in with a really good chance this year Hugo says, with Wood's coaching," Scorpius informed his father brightly. Oliver Wood, a former Hogwarts student was the new England quidditch coach, having previously been their keeper for many years and was, according to Mr Weasley, doing a "bloody brilliant job."

Draco nodded in agreement as he shrank down the battered trunk emblazoned with his son's initials and a big bronze hand-painted eagle; "he probably has a good point. For once." He then changed the subject, evidently not wanting to bestow anymore conversation on Mr Weasley than was clearly necessary; "your mum just can't wait to see you. We're thinking of taking a portkey over to Giant's Causeway tomorrow for a few days and maybe Wales next week for some hiking in the Clwydian hills. Her mandrakes are ready for re-potting too she says, she's been waiting for you to give her a hand. They're getting a bit whiny now they're heading into adolescence." Draco smirked as he put the now tiny trunk in the pocket of his robes; "such is life."

Scorpius' grey eyes lit up at this news. "Brilliant!"

Draco smiled at his visible excitement, causing immediate warmth to rise in his aristocratic face. His son was so like him in some ways yet completely different in others, in the ways it mattered he supposed now. When he himself had been Scorp's age, the idea of a hiking trip and getting muddy and dirty would have filled him with utter revulsion. Funny how things changed. Now the notion of spending some quality time clambering over moors and mountains with his wife and son was comparable to absolutely nothing else in the whole world.

They left the station and found the portkey, a bicycle tire still chained to a rack, minus the rest of the bike. With an amused look as they checked their watches, Draco and Scorpius quickly looked around to see that no muggles were in the vicinity and each pressed a finger to its rubbery grooves, Draco holding on tightly to the owl. There was a rustling sound and then Scorpius felt the familiar unpleasant tugging in his navel as he and his father were quickly whooshed away into spiralling blackness.

They landed in the beautifully flowering front garden of the cottage, Draco holding Scorpius upright. He'd never been able to get used to the spinning sensations of portkey transportation and usually fell over upon arrival. Draco wondered when he would finally master the means of travel, though it had taken him a long time to get used to it when he'd been a boy himself.

"You go in the house, I'll bring in your things," Draco suggested as he engorged the trunk back to its normal size once more and set Thea's cage down so she could fly out and eagerly stretch her wings; "your mum's desperate to see you."

Scorpius smiled as he threw open the door and raced into the cosy house, instantly assailed by the familiar, welcoming sensations of home- the scent of clean linen, flowering irises in the vase on the windowsill and the lingering smell of homecooking left over from lunchtime-chocolate cake it smelled like, and fresh bread- he sniffed appreciatively; "mum!" he called happily, "mum, it's me!"

To his surprise, he was met only by a resounding silence. Maybe she was out in the back garden, tending to her greenhouse. He hoped she hadn't started on the mandrakes without him.

"Mum!" he called again, raising his voice slightly so that it echoed through the house.

Nothing.

Scorpius furrowed his brow and cocked his head as he pulled off his outer robe and hung it up on the coat stand, then walked further into the narrow hallway. Maybe she'd been called to St Mungo's for some kind of emergency? It was very unlike his mum not to be there to greet him the very second he got home after all. Usually he'd be showered with hugs and kisses from her by now, smothered to the point where he couldn't breathe and then she'd berate him for his 'scruffy' untucked shirt, his scuffed shoes or possibly this time, the length of his hair as his dad had suggested. Typical mum things.

Compared to the ultra-brightness of the July sunshine however, the inside of the cottage seemed unnaturally dim and gloomy. As his eyes adjusted to the half-darkness, he instantly gasped. The ground seemed to give way beneath him momentarily, his world spinning as his mouth fell open in sheer horror. His mind actually took a second to catch up to the rest of him and fully process what he was seeing even as he staggered forwards. _No. Merlin, no..._

"Mum!"

Astoria was lying on the hard wooden floor at the bottom of the rickety staircase. She was on her back, her eyes open, staring at him eerily and a trickle of deep red blood baubled from her slightly open mouth. One leg was splayed awkwardly under her unmoving body and at such an awkward angle that Scorpius could instantly tell it was broken. Her head too, was tilted in a funny way, lolling to one side.

He was at her side in a flash. "Mum!" he said again, desperately, his voice imploring her to move, to say something.

Anything.

"Please.. gods, no..." With shaking fingers Scorpius pressed his fingertips to her neck, frantically searching for a pulse.

Nothing.

His mum's body was warm and yet still she stared up at him hauntingly, immoving. Scorpius was so overwhelmed with fear that it almost hurt him to breathe. He stumbled backwards now, frightened, his head now spinning as a great wave of nausea overwhelmed him. "No," he whispered, dumbstruck, finally comprehending what was happening. "No..."

Beads of clammy perspiration dotted his pale brow as he simultaneously felt a sharp chill sweep through his entire body and he felt his eyes stinging with hot tears. That was when he knew. When it hit him.

"Dad!" he screamed, his voice echoing through the silent house once more only now sounding unnaturally shrill, even to his own ears, "dad!"

It was all a blur after that. _Probably shock_, he reflected afterwards, though much later…

His father raced in from the front garden, alerted by his cries and Scorpius would forever remember the look of sheer suspended agony that crossed his face when he saw his wife's fallen body at the bottom of the stairs. Draco's knees buckled as he sank down to the cold floor beside Astoria, gripping her still hands to him helplessly.

"Tori?" he whispered achingly, begging her to wake up, to show some signs of life, "Astoria, love…"

She was pale; the only distinguishing colour on her still beautiful face were the spots of blood.

Fitfully, Draco pressed a trembling though still impossibly gentle hand to her twisted broken neck, like Scorpius searching feverishly for a pulse he would never find.

Scorpius also knew he would never _ever_ forget the look of utter devastation on his fathers face that day, when he looked up at his son beseechingly and spoke in a hollow voice that begged for some kind of challenge; "she—she's dead…"

Scorpius shook his head disbelievingly even as tears of anguish clouded his grey eyes and he knew with a heartbreaking pang of certainty that it was true; "no, dad…she can't be…"

On that bright summer's day in July, both father and son hung their heads and wept broken tears, realising that nothing about their lives would ever quite be the same again.

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **Ugh, first time I've had to kill a character I think, and one that I liked. I actually wrote a Draco/Astoria one-shot a while ago "Five times she truly saw Draco Malfoy" (its waaaay more upbeat and almost fluffy), so if this chapter totally depressed you, please check that out! Next chapter (which should be up soon!): can things _get_ any worse?


	12. Foul play

**Foul play**

**Disclaimers: **See Ch1.

* * *

The bright sunshine that flooded through the windows of the Devonshire cottage made what had just happened seem even crueler. Astoria Malfoy had died, today, on this beautiful warm July day. Surely there should have been rain pounding the windows, a grey sky or even a ferocious storm, symbolising their agony and grief? But no, the world went on outside just as it always did as Scorpius clung tightly to his father's shoulders and prayed that this was all some kind of bad dream. It _had_ to be. Maybe he would wake up and be back in his seat on the Hogwarts Express, finding this was some kind of insane nightmare. Lorcan and Phillius would be playing exploding snap, Rose would be squabbling with Hugo just like she always did…

He blinked.

"Scorp…?"

He opened his eyes, valiantly hoping against all futile hope... No. He was still there, still in Devon and his mother's body was still lying sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, her haunting brown eyes looking up at him. Scorpius turned away, sickened, feeling the bile welling up in his throat. This wasn't his mum. It wasn't!

"Scorp... we need to call St Mungo's," Draco whispered numbly, releasing him and sinking down to the floor in a helpless heap. His legs felt like they wouldn't work all of a sudden and he realised he was dizzy.

"But—she's dead…" Scorpius mumbled hollowly, wrapping his arms around himself now as if for protection and stumbling slightly. "A healer can't--"

Fresh tears rained down Draco's cheeks; "I know. But—but her body-- it needs to be moved." He almost choked on the words, unable to fully process what was happening or comprehend the unbelievable circumstances. Astoria, his beautiful wife was now just a shell. A corpse. Never again would he see her cheeky smile, hear her naughty laugh; make love to her on a lazy Sunday morning…

Grief swamped him, but he struggled not to let it overwhelm him entirely, even though he felt as if he was being pulled downwards by an unrelenting undertow, drowning in agonising pain. He needed to be strong now, for his son.

He couldn't look down at Tori anymore; her eyes were wide open in death, frightening him. This wasn't the way he wanted to remember her. Not like this. Only he knew they couldn't touch her or move her anymore than they had already.

"I—I'll floo call St Mungo's…" he managed when he saw that Scorpius too was struggling to move; he staggered to his feet on rubbery legs and walked almost drunkenly into the living room, where he grabbed a handful of gritty floo powder. "St Mungo's…" he whispered weakly, sticking his face into the green flames and blinking back more hot tears.

The rest was just a blur.

…

The healers from St Mungo's were at the cottage in mere minutes. Draco knew them all- most were friends' as well as colleagues of his wife and examined her gravely, fighting back their own pain as they eyed her broken body. As wands flickered with charms to indicate the parts of Astoria that had been injured in her fall, the head healer, a stout woman with grey curls and a million wrinkles in her face, gently led he and Scorpius into the living room.

"I'm so sorry," she told them compassionately and indeed she looked like she meant it, "I'm so sorry Mr Malfoy. We all loved Astoria."

Draco nodded woodenly, not pacified by her words of comfort as Scorpius curled up on the couch, hugging his knees and making himself appear as small as possible. "What happened? My son—he just found her lying there."

The healer flickered a look of pity to Scorpius, who was staring into space. Not crying. Not speaking.

Numb.

"She's been dead for at least an hour, maybe more," the healer informed Draco softly, "I can't say a lot until she's been--autopsied in St Mungo's."

Draco blanched at the visible image of his wife's cold body being laid out on a hard mortuary slab and examined and he shot a look at his son seeing if he'd heard. Scorpius too, looked stricken now.

The healer looked up as one of her colleagues walked into the room, directly over to her and murmured something in her ear, so low that nobody else could hear it. Draco watched in bewilderment as the grey-haired woman's eyes widened imperceptively and then she gave a brisk nod, the expression on her face changing immediately. "Excuse me, Mr Malfoy," she said sombrely as she stood up, "if you could just excuse me for one moment, I think there's something I need to see." With those words she left the room and walked back out into the crowded hallway, leaving a highly confused Draco and Scorpius behind her.

…

Twenty minutes later, Draco and Scorpius heard the loud pops that signalled apparition into their home, and Draco, unable to help himself since nobody else would tell him what the hell was going on no matter how much he asked and pleaded, ventured out into the hallway. Healers were still tending to Astoria's body, now covering it with a pure white sheet and Draco's brow furrowed and heart clenched once more as he caught one last glimpse of his wife's beautiful face before it was hidden from view. Her eyes were now closed as if she was sleeping. She looked… peaceful.

"What's going on? Where are you taking her?" he asked imploringly, his eyes searching now stony faces for answers.

The healers looked up, but no one answered him.

"Please—what's going on? What did you find?" Draco heard the begging underlying his tone, but didn't care. He wanted to know what on earth was happening.

"Mr Malfoy…"

Draco turned at the unfamiliar male voice, to see three men stood in the hallway, watching the proceedings with veiled interest. Dressed in tailored robes and bowler hats and all giving off an air of authority, Draco immediately realised they were from the Ministry of Magic. His eyes narrowed in palpable confusion.

"Where are you taking my wife?" he demanded.

"Your wife is going to be taken to St Mungo's," the tallest gentleman responded curtly, "whilst the four of _us _have a little chat."

Draco watched helplessly as Astoria's body was apparated away on a stretcher by the healers, feeling his heart break as she finally vanished from sight. The sense of loss cut him as sharply as a knife. In moments, the hallway immediately became quieter. He looked at the men in confusion. "A chat?" he repeated uncertainly, absorbing the words.

"A chat, Mr Malfoy," a smaller man in lurid green pinstripe robes confirmed, pulling out a quill and parchment. "Do you mind telling me your whereabouts this morning?"

"My _whereabouts_?" Draco repeated dumbly, "why?"

"Just answer the question, Malfoy," huffed the third man, a skinny beanpole with a greasy moustache, impatiently tapping his foot.

"I was here until the afternoon," Draco replied blankly watching as the man scratched his words down on the parchment, "then I headed to work to drop off some paperwork that needed signing and then I went directly to Kings Cross to pick up my son from his school train."

All four men turned then, hearing footsteps and saw Scorpius stood in the doorway too, watching the proceedings with confusion. His face was etched with sorrow and his eyes were dulled with anguish, but this didn't stop the Ministry's tirade.

"And you found your wife lying here when you got home?" Pinstripes asked him, arching a furry eyebrow.

"My son found her," Draco whispered, his stomach a painful knot.

Eyes flickered to Scorpius once more, who was now leaning against the doorframe as if for support. "She was at the bottom of the stairs," the young wizard confirmed quietly, "looking up at me…" he shivered visibly at the memory; "I must have screamed for my dad and he came rushing in from the garden…"

The worker's eyes darted back to Draco, who was looking at his son, his eyes filled with tears. "When was the last time you saw your wife?" Beanpole asked him.

"Just before I apparated to the Ministry," Draco recalled, "we were upstairs and she was tidying Scorps' room for him…" he swallowed against his tears remembering their kiss and the way her eyes had been shining with love as he'd jokingly patted her bum. Gods… this had to be some kind of bad dream. A nightmare. If only she'd came with him to the station, this would never have happened...

Tall man huffed impatiently, clearly unmoved by the circumstances or either Malfoy's distress; "Mr Malfoy, I'll be honest with you. We suspect foul play in your wife's death."

"_Foul play_?" Draco looked baffled and shocked as he blinked, startled from his reverie, "what do you mean? My wife fell down the stairs. That was exactly how we found her." He looked to his son as if for confirmation and Scorpius nodded numbly, wondering exactly what the lanky man was getting at.

"The fact that she landed at such an angle suggests she was pushed or shunted in some way to speed up her fall," said Pinstripes snottily, looking self-righteous. "Force was clearly used to some extent, given the angle at which she landed. This wasn't an _innocent accident_, Mr Malfoy. Your wife has bruises on her arms and shoulder blades, the healers discovered them when they cast examining charms; it looks as if she was the participant in some sort of disagreement."

Draco and Scorpius' eyes widened. "P—pushed or shunted?" Scorpius asked uncertainly, feeling his legs turn wobbly. "A disagreement?"

"No one would want to hurt my wife," Draco said, looking undeniably confused, "no one…"

"What about _you_, Mr Malfoy?" Beanpole asked, his beady eyes further narrowing into little slits as he stroked his chin contemplatively.

Draco's mouth dropped open; "what?" he whispered, stunned.

"How were things in your marriage, Mr Malfoy? Did _you_ and your wife ever argue?"

Scorpius sat down on the window-seat with a thud, in complete shock, his thoughts finally catching up with the rest of him. "My dad would _never_ hurt—"

"Keep out of this son," Pinstripes snapped harshly, with no sense of empathy for the young wizard or the family's circumstances whatsoever, "I was talking to your dad."

"No," Draco finally found his voice, though he felt cold all of a sudden and his stomach was twisting into a hard lump of ice, "we never argued."

"The circumstances don't exactly look good though, do they?" a look of bitter satisfaction curled the tall man's lips and his eyes sparkled with contempt; "I mean, no one else in the house but you and your wife- your son gets back from school with you, _conveniently_ providing you with an alibi for the last few hours…"

Scorpius was near to tears as he staggered towards the man, and he was also getting angry; "my dad didn't hurt my mum!" he spluttered furiously. "I know it—"

"We're going to take you in for questioning," the tall man snapped his fingers at pinstripes and the next second metal handcuffs materialised on Draco's slender wrists. He gaped at them in amazement suddenly understanding this was actually the Inquisitorial Squad and he was being suspected of the most horrendous type of crime. "I didn't—I never--"

"Dad!" Scorpius blurted as his father was taken by the arm and dragged harshly outside, frantically pulling away and trying to get back to his son.

"Scorp—"

"Please don't take him away! He didn't do anything! Please—"

"My son—please, he can't stay here alone—he only has me and—"

Too late. There was a sudden pop as all four men apparated and the house was silent once more. Stunned and trembling, Scorpius sat back down shakily on the window seat, hugging his knees tightly, feeling shell-shocked and frightened. They'd taken his dad away. The Inquisitorial Squad from the Ministry of Magic thought his dad had killed his mum.

**HPHPHPHP**

Two days later, Rose was sat at the breakfast table in her ratty blue towling dressing gown with Crookshanks II curling around her bare ankles, absentmindedly eating a forkful of scrambled eggs (which was a good thing as her mum had cooked them and she was trying not to think about what was actually in her mouth). She was thinking how quiet it was, not to be squabbling with Hugo over the food, when her dad's usual owl arrived with its copy of the Daily Prophet. The paper was still bigger than _he_ was. Pig had never really grown much in all the years he'd had him, much to Ron's complete disgruntlement. Rose was more than used to her dad complaining about 'scabby rats' and 'uncoordinated owls' by now though.

Pig was ancient now too, even for wizarding owls that lived years longer than other species of bird. Ancient and not very agile with an incredibly bad sense of direction. He narrowly missed crashing into the window frame and landing in Roses' plate of eggs as he slid onto the kitchen table with a confused hoot. She prodded him with her finger and rolled her eyes; "_honestly Pig_…"

She unhooked the paper from his beak as Pig staggered gratefully on the wooden table and went to receive its owl treat from Hermione, who was staring down at the iron stove, baffled. She'd been _trying_ to make pancakes but her wand just couldn't blend the milk, flour and eggs correctly, no matter which way she flicked her wrist or which charms she muttered. Bloody hell, she missed Ron. He and Hugo's head had appeared in the fireplace but it just wasn't the same as having them at home with her, even though she knew they'd undoubtedly have a brilliant time at the cup and would be loving Germany. It was just a shame she couldn't take six weeks off work and join them. She'd been rather surprised her daughter hadn't wanted to go too, but understood that she wanted to get in extra reading for her fourth year and presumably have a rest from quidditch for a little while at least.

Rose suddenly spat out a forkful of eggs and her mother looked up, simply appalled at her evident lack of table-manners. She could be worse than her father sometimes. "Rose!" she scolded.

Rose wasn't listening. She was too busy staring at the front page of the newspaper in stunned silence and at the bold headline and grainy moving picture of a man being hauled down a darkened corridor in handcuffs: "_TRAGEDY FOR THE MALFOY'S. FOUL PLAY SUSPECTED! Rita Skeeter reveals all…"_

Hermione followed her eye line and she too, looked instantly startled. Without further ado, Rose snatched up the paper and began to read, quickly, almost frantically, almost stumbling over herself in her hurry to understand what had happened. By the time she'd finished the last spiteful paragraph, hot tears were sliding down her freckled face; "it's Mrs Malfoy," she explained to her mum, who was rubbing her arm comfortingly and by now sitting beside her at the wooden table, "she's dead."

"What on _earth_ happened?" Hermione asked, bewildered at this unexpected turn of events. She could recollect seeing Draco's shy wife at quidditch games and though the two women had never spoken of course, Astoria's tentative smiles had always seemed friendly. Hermione had been surprised to see Draco with the petite dark-haired woman at Kings Cross that first time actually, she was the complete opposite of snobby looking Pansy Parkinson and all the other shallow women Draco had gone out with at Hogwarts. She'd known of Astoria's brilliant reputation as a healer after all, yet despite herself had been surprised that she had married Draco.

"She was found at the bottom of the stairs at the Malfoy's cottage," Rose reported now, wiping her eyes and sniffing back more tears, "a broken neck and covered in 'suspicious bruises,' the paper says. Scorpius must be devastated, mum. He was so looking forward to getting back home and seeing her and his dad…"

Hermione nodded, stunned- her brown eyes sombre as she looked down at the moving picture of a deeply shocked looking Draco Malfoy who was being led away for questioning by Ministry workers. Even through just the grainy photograph she could see the immense agony in his distinguished face as not for the first time she wondered at the temerity of the bloody Prophet paparazzi snatching these types of photos, not to mention the malicious Rita Skeeter for writing the horrific story in such a sensationalist way in the first place. She'd had a few run-in's with the nasty journalist herself over the years after all.

"They think Scorpius' _dad_ had something to do with it!" Rose looked aghast now, her eyes wide with shock, "they can't possibly--"

"That's nonsense," Hermione interrupted her daughter immediately, "Draco Malfoy might be a lot of things, a bit of a bully and a coward for one admittedly, but he's certainly not a _murderer_."

Roses' blue eyes were perplexed; "mum, I need to speak to Scorpius. What about _him?_ If his dad's being questioned he'll be all on his own there I bet—his mum's parents died years ago and his aunty has nothing much to do with them and Lysander and his parents are away and they aren't speaking to Mr Malfoy's parents either—" she was babbling she realised, but she had to make her mum understand that she needed to see her best friend.

Hermione's eyes were compassionate and understanding however and Rose knew she didn't need to say anymore, "poor love," she said softly. Making up her mind in an instant, she folded the newspaper and stood up, putting her hands on her hips briskly; "I need to floo-call Harry and let him know what's going on--clean your teeth and get washed and dressed Rose, we're going to Devon."

**HPHPHPHP**

Scorpius hadn't moved from the window seat in the now hated hallway in two days, ever since he had watched the Ministry workers roughly haul his dad out of the cottage for questioning and had seen them apparate out of his front garden. He felt numb. He couldn't even grieve for his mother given that he couldn't get to St Mungo's by himself and he wasn't actually sure where his dad _was_ at this moment in time either. Fleeting thoughts of Azkaban had entered his head and he shuddered to himself imagining his dad surrounded by ugly, gnarled dementors in a cold, airless prison cell. He felt so helpless and alone and he knew his dad would be feeling the same way.

Scorpius knew admittedly that it was slightly grim that he was still sat at the 'scene of the crime' as it were, but he couldn't look at the bottom of the dreaded stairs at all, even though his mother's body was long gone. He was sat here, where he was, because the very second his father got home, he'd see him and know about it.

Why on earth _had_ they taken his dad? He had nothing to do with it, he'd been at Kings Cross with _him_ for Merlin's sake and then they'd port-keyed back to Devon together. If those Ministry officials had seen the devastated way his father had sobbed for his mother… Scorpius had never seen a grown man cry before and it had frightened him as much as anything.

Scorpius shivered and pulled the tatty patchwork blanket tighter around himself now, twisting threadbare strands between his fingertips. He didn't want to think about _that _and about the odd way his mother's neck had been twisted and the way he'd found her body like that, yet he couldn't help it. The images kept filling his head like some kind of never-ending nightmare.

He wished his dad were here. He wanted his dad. His mum too of course, but that was impossible, though a big part of him still refused to rationalise that Astoria was indeed dead. He imagined it just hadn't sunk in yet.

_Dead… _

The words reverberated through Scorpius' mind dully even as his stomach twisted in anguish once more. He remembered all the times he'd ever been cross or angry with his mum for silly little reasons, and with a pang thought of the times he _could_ have spent with her that he hadn't. Time he could never_ ever_ get back now. His eyes watered and he fisted away burning, angry tears.

He looked up at the sudden loud popping sound in the front garden, his head clouding in confusion when he saw Mrs Weasley and Rose suddenly appear together by the lavender bush, Mrs Weasley holding onto her daughters arms tightly- which made sense given that Rose was still far too young to legally side-long apparate at all and the risk of splinching was evident. Even with a fully-qualified witch or wizard, the manoeuvre was tricky; clearly the two of them had found out about his mum and had chosen the quickest way to get here, if certainly not the most sensible. Indeed, Rose looked positively frantic; Mrs Weasley looked worried as they hurriedly made their way to the front door.

Shakily, for he hadn't eaten or drank anything in almost 48 hours, Scorpius stumbled to his feet and slowly opened the door. He was instantly assailed by five feet six inches of freckled redhead, who threw her arms around his neck tightly. "Scorp! Oh Scorp, I'm so sorry…"

Scorpius immediately buried his face in her shoulders- wondering if he was dreaming. His thoughts hadn't exactly been lucid of late after all, but sure enough, Rose felt real-warm, solid and smelling like apple shampoo and minty toothpaste.

"I'm so sorry," she said again, lifting her head as her eyes met his. He noticed she looked near to tears too.

"Easy love," Mrs Weasley gently detangled her daughter from him as if sensing how overwhelmed he was to see people again all of a sudden, "give him some air."

Numbly, Scorpius looked up at the two of them. His brain simply wasn't working today and he felt rather like he'd been swimming through fog. "Why…?" he began, and then licked his dry lips. His voice even sounded strange, like he'd forgotten how to use it.

"We read the Prophet," Rose began, her blue eyes compassionate, "oh Scorp…"

Scorpius nodded woodenly and then with shaky legs, sat down on the window seat in the darkened hallway once more.

Mrs Weasley was looking around the cottage with concern. The air was stale and musty and there was a deep chill in the air, even given the bright sunshine outside. "Have you eaten anything love?" she asked him gently.

"I found her," Scorpius whispered in a hollow voice.

Rose exchanged a horrified glance with her mum, who was looking perplexed. They instantly realised what he meant and their eyes automatically flickered to the bottom of the staircase, which was now empty, though a few speckles of dried blood remained on the wooden floor. Rose shuddered, not imagining how her friend must be feeling right now.

Hermione however sat down beside Scorpius on the window seat as he pulled a tatty blanket around himself, looking distressed and even paler than usual, hugging his knees. "Rose," she instructed quietly, "go and get Scorpius a glass of water please."

Rose obliged, finding her way to the kitchen, though she looked immensely concerned at her friend's anguished expression.

"I found her," Scorpius said again, his voice far away. "Her neck… it was all twisted and--" he stopped suddenly, unable to go on. His grey eyes welled with tears. "My dad… they think he did it, but he didn't! I know he didn't!"

"I know," Mrs Weasley told him gently.

Even through the crashing waves of despair, Scorpius felt a small tug of hope that someone so obviously believed in his dad's innocence and even more so that it was Mrs Weasley. If even _she_ believed his dad was innocent... well, it was no secret there had been no love lost between his dad and her at school, was it? He knew all the stories. His dad had been a real brat apparently.

Rose quietly returned with a glass of water and Mrs Weasley instructed him to take small sips. He did as she asked, even though his stomach felt like a lead weight and he was quite sure he was going to be sick with the effort. "My dad—" he began softly, spluttering a little as the first drops of cold water slid down his parched throat.

"Harry's going to find out what's going on at the Ministry," Mrs Weasley told him gently, seeing his start of surprise at the mention of Harry Potter. "I spoke to him just before they came here. They have no concrete evidence to hold your dad on, love; it's just Ministry procedure because—because there was only the two of you in the house when you found her."

Scorpius didn't feel any better at that snippet of information; "but _someone_ must think he killed my mum," he said bleakly, "otherwise they'd have let him go by now, wouldn't they? The man from the ministry said she had bruises—on her arms…"

Mrs Weasley had no further answer for that. "Have you been here all alone, Scorpius?" she asked him gently instead, even though such an idea filled her with horror. The boy was only thirteen- not even of age! Anything could have happened for Merlin's sake. He'd been disturbed enough at finding his mother's body, but for him just to be left alone like that…

Scorpius nodded mutely and then spoke, his voice crackling on choked sobs; "my granddad- _Lucius _I mean- he's overseas I think, Hong Kong or something on business, and in the summer holidays my dad gives the house elf some time off so—so me and my parents can be together. I don't even think they know about—" his eyes filled with fresh tears and he blinked, embarrassed to let Rose and her mum see him cry.

Rose and her mum seemed to be holding a silent conversation with their eyes. Mrs Weasley took his trembling hand and patted it reassuringly. "Pack some bits and bobs love," she said simply, "you're coming home with us."

**HPHPHPHP**

Scorpius protested vehemently at first of course. His main bone of contention seemed to be what would happen when his dad finally came back to the cottage and found it empty and he seemed reluctant to leave his window seat. Mrs Weasley assured him that Harry would find some way to let his dad know where his son was staying and that seemed to go some way to pacifying him, though he still moved like a sleepwalker.

"Where's your dad and Hugo?" Scorpius asked Rose numbly, as Mrs Weasley efficiently moved around his bedroom, packing some clothes in a small trunk for him. He felt too numb to be embarrassed at the fact that a near stranger was rooting through his underwear drawer, in front of Rose nonetheless and just let her get on with it.

"The European Cup," Rose reminded him quietly, sitting beside him on his neatly made bed. Then Scorpius remembered that Mr Weasley and Hugo were across in Berlin for the European Quidditch Cup, where he was commentating on the matches, they'd left the previous day infact. Hugo had been excited about it for ages and the fact that he had such brilliant seats. It seemed strange that the rest of the world was going on as normal when such a monumental thing had happened in his own life.

"Oh," was all Scorpius said finally.

That was all he said until his bag was neatly packed and he took one last forlorn look around his bedroom, the room his mum had so lovingly prepared for him. "I can side-long apparate with you if you want," Mrs Weasley said kindly, as if she knew what he was thinking. She was treating him with kid-gloves he realised, but to his surprise he found he didn't mind at all. He just so badly wanted kindness at the moment, for someone to be there. "Rose can floo to Port Cicely," she added, with a look at her daughter. "The fireplace directory should have us connected. Your Uncle Harry was seeing about it because we thought it would be best for you to come back with us if you could…"

Rose nodded, obligingly. Scorpius just shrugged, his face pallid. She took his hand before she headed to the Malfoy's large fireplace. "Your dad's going to be alright," she told him softly, squeezing it comfortingly. "I bet he'll be back with you again really soon."

Scorpius swallowed the lump in his throat and only hoped to goodness that she was right.

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **Next chapter: former enemies are reunited. As ever- PLEASE REVIEW! :-)


	13. Safe haven in Port Cicely

**Safe haven in Port Cicely- Ch12**

**Disclaimers: **See CH1.

* * *

When Scorpius and Mrs Weasley landed on soft green grass with a 'pop' and the world had finally stopped tilting, Scorpius looked up dazedly to see a beautiful two storey house before him. The red brick was crumbling and faded and the garden was somewhat like his own back in Devon and filled with colourful peonies, dancing flutterby plants and wonderful pink rose bushes. Like Rose had said many times, the house also had a huge honeysuckle plant climbing up the front of it, the blooms rich and flourishing. Even through the numbness that still prevailed, Scorpius' senses were instantly assailed by the strong floral scent mingled with the distant salty sea. It felt… almost like home once more.

Unwittingly, his eyes filled with tears.

"Come on love," Mrs Weasley's eyes were kind as she lightly took his arm still treating him with the kid gloves, "lets go into the house and get you settled."

Scorpius followed her like a sleep walker. Once inside the cosy hallway, she re-sized his trunk back to normal and with a quick flick of her wand, sent it floating up the staircase. Inside the hallway, the house was small but big enough for the four people it housed. It was also undoubtedly rather charming with its buttercup yellow walls that were covered in family photos and had Scorpius been in a better frame of mind, he undoubtedly would have taken the time to study the house further or passed a polite comment.

A much younger looking, braceless Rose in one of the photos wrestled with Hugo and paused mid-headlock to give _him_ a gap-toothed crooked smile and a little wave, though it didn't garner a smile from him in response of course. He was too heartsick for anything today. Simultaneously, the cough and spluttering from the next room announced the _real_ Roses' arrival by floo.

"Come on through," Mrs Weasley said softly, leading him to the living room. Like the rest of the house it too emanated cosiness; with crammed bookcases on one wall and two fat couches nestled by the fire which Rose was now climbing out of, dusty and frazzled. Her expression was almost hesitant as she looked at Scorpius and then she glanced to her mum. She clearly didn't want to do or say the wrong thing in this situation and Scorpius wasn't quite used to a tactful approach from her, given that ordinarily she tended to blurt out the very first thing that came to her mind.

"Have you eaten anything Scorpius?" Mrs Weasley prodded gently.

Scorpius saw Rose unconsciously wince and remembered that she had said in the past that her mum's cooking wasn't exactly edible sometimes. He shook his head mutely and then remembered his manners. "I'm not hungry thank you," he said in a small voice; "I'm a bit tired actually. I haven't slept since—um--"

"Of course," Mrs Weasley said hastily, "Rose love, show Scorpius up to Hugo's room, can you? It's fairly tidy, for once. Scorpius, if there's anything you need, just give me a shout, alright? I'm not at work for the next couple of days and--" her voice died away and she managed a weak, awkward smile. "I'm here if you need me," was all she said finally, clearly not wanting to overwhelm him too much in one go.

Again, Scorpius nodded silently before trailing after Rose up the blue carpeted stairs.

She was silent too as she opened the door to Hugo's room, which was liberally plastered with quidditch pennants and newspaper cut-outs of the Falcons and Canons showcasing their recent victories and league positions. His bedspread too, was emblazoned with the Falcons colours and was neatly made. Mrs Weasley again, Scorpius supposed- he knew from the many complaints he'd heard from Gryffindor tower that Hugo wasn't the tidiest person in his house. His eyes drifted to the big hand-written sign on the door which read in bold scrawled letters; "Keep out, Rose or I'll hex you!" He would have smiled, had he had the temerity to do so.

"I'll be downstairs," Rose told him softly as she turned to face him again. "Scorp, I'm so sorry about your mum…" she bit her lip, clearly not knowing what to do or say.

Scorpius was starting to feel like a marionette with all the nodding he was doing as he quietly shut the door after her. He heard her footsteps slowly clattering downstairs as he sat with a thump on the bed.

Only now did he start to feel the tears fully streaming from his eyes, as he angrily fisted them away. He lay back on the cool sheets tiredly, nose snotty and head feeling woolly with both lethargy and sorrow. He was completely exhausted but he very much doubted that sleep would even come at all as he was in so much of a spin and still trying to come to terms with what had happened. Yet, despite himself as he lay there and fretted about his father, trying with no avail to blink away the images of his mother's fallen body, his eyelids eventually grew heavy after all. The last thing he finally remembered before he succumbed to sleep was thinking that wherever his father was, he only hoped he would be home again soon.

**HPHPHPHP**

Harry had spoken with Hermione that morning, who had quickly briefed him on the situation with Draco and he grew completely confused as her head vanished from his fireplace and exchanged amazed looks with Ginny, Lily, Albus and James who'd almost choked on their breakfast at the unexpected news. He hadn't heard _anything_ about Draco Malfoy being brought directly into the Ministry of Magic on suspected murder charges and he didn't read the Prophet either; this told him that indeed the Ministry was trying their best to hush everything up.

Perplexed, he tended to agree with Hermione that Draco probably hadn't killed his wife. He might have been cruel and arrogant at school, but it was obvious just from looking at him at Kings Cross that he loved his son unconditionally and there was no way he would have murdered Astoria. Like Hermione, he'd been very surprised to discover Draco had married _Astoria_ in the first place. Indeed, the Greengrass family were Purebloods, but whilst Astoria's elder sister Daphne had the reputation of being sneaky and vindictive, Astoria was sweet and almost shy. Ginny had joked that Draco had married the "wrong sister," but Harry couldn't help but notice that Draco had looked at Astoria with complete devotion in his eyes that day at Kings Cross years earlier. This shocking turn of events had thrown him for a loop.

After popping his own head _back_ into Hermione's fireplace a little bit later on once she'd returned from Devon, and enquiring as to young Scorpius' welfare, only to be told he was now sleeping, Harry pulled on his work robes, kissed Ginny goodbye and mind made up, apparated to the Serious Crimes Department where he knew undoubtedly, Draco Malfoy would be being interrogated.

The Ministry's long and winding corridors were quiet today, aside from one lone worker sat at his work station directly outside the frosted windows of the main interrogation room. Harry sighed, not in the mood for any kind of impending argument. He wanted to see Draco and he wanted to see him _now_. He needed to know what the bloody hell was going on.

"Mr Potter!" Eric Blotch smiled politely as he looked up from his immaculate desk and saw the famous Auror striding towards him, "what can I do for you today?" he set down his parchment and quill obligingly.

Harry pushed his glasses up on his nose and regarded the younger man with folded arms, able to spot a brown-noser when he saw one; "you can tell me exactly what's going on with Draco Malfoy for a start."

Eric's toothy smile faded somewhat; "that's confidential business, Mr Potter and out of your jurisdiction. I'm terribly sorry."

"Am I to understand he's still being interrogated by Ministry officials? The Inquisitorial Squad?" Harry prodded.

After a pause, Eric nodded awkwardly. The Auror scared him somewhat and he didn't like the steely tone in his voice.

"Two whole days of questioning?" Harry's green eyes widened imperceptively, "you _do_ know that his son has been completely on his own back in Devon, don't you? He's not even of age."

Eric looked down at his hands, "Fineus Kettlebottom, Alfonso Longmeadow and Darius Whimpleton are in there with him now," he finally divulged, nodding his head towards the closed doorway and frosted windows in front of them. "They're trying to get him to sign some kind of confession to say he pushed his wife down the stairs- they told me she was found in a suspicious position and it looks like force was used, some kind of domestic argument or something they reckon. They're intending to haul him up before the Wizengamot and get him into Azkaban."

Harry frowned as this information was reluctantly imparted from the blushing younger man; "thanks Eric, that's very helpful indeed." Without further ado, he strode forwards and with a quick "alohamora," the warded doorway swung open.

The room was dark and freezing cold, Harry was instantly assailed by the chill and shivered. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimness and when he did, he was met with four pairs of eyes- three of them, Fineus,' Alfonso's and Darius' looked immensely angry at the sudden interruption. Draco merely looked confused and bewildered, hunched over one end of the wooden table and visibly shaking, be it from cold or fear he just didn't know. Harry could see the sorrow in his grey eyes from here and he also looked ruffled and incredibly distressed. Rather small actually, Harry thought. Any semblance of the Malfoy dignity was long gone.

"Mr Potter! This is a private discussion, what exactly is the meaning of this?!" Kettlebottom looked absolutely furious as he pushed his lanky frame from his chair.

"Calm yourself Fineus," Harry snapped, casting a speedy "lumos" as the room instantly brightened, much to muttered chagrins from the three Ministry workers; "and by _'discussion'_ I do believe you mean 'interrogation.' You DO realise it's illegal to hold anyone for so long without allowing them legal representation? Also, Mr Malfoy's thirteen year-old son is alone back in Devon as _you_ very well know and—"

Longmeadow looked sulky as he tugged on his moustache; "we were merely _talking_ to Mr Malfoy, that's all and this is nothing to do with _you_, Potter."

"I believe you're trying to coerce him into signing some kind of statement forcing him to accept responsibility for his wife's death," Harry responded coolly looking between the three of them. None of them had the grace to look abashed. "That is simply unacceptable in any section of the Ministry. Rule breaking cannot be tolerated. Fineus, Alfonso, Darius, I suggest you take some time away from this room. I wish to have a word with Mr Malfoy _alone_."

"But—" Whimpleton interjected.

Harry's emerald eyes flashed warningly and the look in them suggested that he was ready to hex the men into next week at the sign of any further objection as he reached warningly for his wand. Sure enough, they hastily left the room, disgustedly muttering under their breaths, leaving one very angry Harry Potter and one very startled Draco Malfoy, staring at him in disbelief.

"Malfoy—"

"_Scorpius_," Draco interrupted him immediately, still blinking in the sudden brightness as if sensing that he had an ally all of a sudden, "how is he? Where is he? Is he alright?"

"He's with Hermione and Rose," Harry reported, softening at the evident concern in the other mans voice. "They picked him up this morning after they read what had happened in The Prophet, and they're all in Port Cicely. As far as I am aware, Scorpius is concerned over your welfare and Hermione says he hasn't spoken much about his mother. She thinks he's still in shock. He's finally sleeping but I don't know much more than that."

Draco breathed out in relief; "thank god he's not alone…" he placed his head in his hands and his shoulders sagged; "the thought of him there by himself—they wouldn't let me see him or tell anyone he was there—I've been cooped up in this room all the time and I've been going out of my mind with worry—both of Tori's parents are dead, you see and she and her sister weren't very close and—"

"I know," Harry cut in soberly, not wanting a recap of the Malfoy family tree; "but he's safe, don't worry."

"Tori—" Draco said next, his voice wobbling, "they—they told me they've taken her to the mortuary in St Mungo's—the thought of _her_ alone in there too…" he shivered, his face pale as he ran a trembling hand over his brow.

Harry didn't know what to say. What _could_ he say to make this situation any better? If that had been Ginny… sudden empathy welled in him and all he could do was watch the other man with unveiled compassion in his eyes.

When Draco lifted his head again, Harry saw the tears pooling there. "I didn't do it," he whispered, his voice breaking now, "you have to believe me Potter. I swear I didn't do it. We never argued and I didn't push her or shove her or whatever else in Merlin's name they're implying."

Harry finally sat down in the wooden chair opposite him and crossed his arms in a stance that usually worked so well with people he was questioning; "are you telling me the truth, Malfoy?" he asked him simply, though he felt he didn't really need to ask, the answer was obvious; "because they're trying to get you into Azkaban for this. The dementor's might not be under the control of Voldemort anymore, but they're still pretty ruthless."

"I swear on my son's life, Potter," Draco burst out passionately; "I saw Tori before I left for the station and she was cleaning the upstairs of the house ready for Scorp coming home and digging out hiking boots I think—we were planning on going to Ireland and Wales for a few days. _I _had to head into the Ministry to collect some files on the way to London and then I picked up my son and we came straight back to Devon by Portkey…" Draco swallowed hard, "Scorpius was the one who found her lying there like that…" he shuddered again at the unbidden memory, "do you _really_ think I could put my son through that, Potter? Finding his mother's body… Gods…"

Harry believed him at once. Draco Malfoy _might_ have been arrogant, the school bully, something of a coward deep down, and a lot of other things, but there was now no doubt that he had loved his wife and that she and Scorpius meant everything to him.

Harry sighed; "apparently the angle your wife-_Astoria_- fell... it was suspicious and suggests a struggle or some kind of violent force was used. _That's_ why the Ministry are trying to blame you for this, because you had the time before you left for London, if certainly not the motive. Can you think of _anyone_ who might have stopped by unexpectedly in the few hours you were away from Devon? Had some kind of altercation with your wife?"

Draco shook his head, tears falling freely down his face now yet he didn't wipe them away; "Tori is—was-- beautiful," he said simply, his voice full of pain as he changed to the past tense, "she was a _healer_. I can't think of anyone who would want to hurt her. She spent her life saving others."

The sincerity in his voice was undeniable. Harry ran a hand through his hair and pressed the tips of his fingers together in deep thought.

"What am I going to do, Potter?" Draco asked, his voice muffled as he placed his head in his hands again. His face was the picture of despair. Harry had seen that look on his once before and knew that whatever Draco was going through, it was near destroying him. Sheer hell. The former dividing line that had clearly distinguished them as enemies faded away in these circumstances and Harry knew that despite everything, he had to help this man. For his son and wife's memory if nothing else. He knew the good reputation Astoria had held at St Mungo's and it seemed only fair to honour that, for Harry Potter was of course, above all other things, fair.

Harry bit his lip and lowered his hands, regarding him, "it's purely circumstantial evidence they're holding you on," he said finally, outlining what they both already knew, "and they've held you for two days now already. They can't technically hold you for any longer under wizarding law without actually charging you with a crime."

Draco lifted his eyes, looking defeated; "they're trying to set me up for this, aren't they?"

"It looks that way," Harry admitted gravely.

Draco wiped his eyes not even caring he was blubbering like some kind of hormonal schoolgirl in front of his former nemesis; "Scorpius—" he said softly, "Potter, whatever happens to me, you have to make sure he's alright. Please."

Harry's eyes were hooded; "but—"

"_Please_," Draco begged, his voice was urgent and his eyes imploring; "look, I know after everything I've ever said and done to you I have no right to ask you for help, but my father—" he took a deep breath, "he'll try and get to Scorpius. You _can't _let that happen! He's on some kind of crazed vendetta to get him to Durmstrang or another dark arts school as it is and we had a fight months ago--"

Harry nodded slowly, only half listening; "where is he?"

"Overseas with my mother," Draco had relaxed marginally at Harry's assent. He'd thought he'd have to do a lot more persuasion than _that_, but seemingly children in peril were Potters Achilles heel; "in the middle east I think. I don't know where, but if they read the Daily Prophet and—"

"Malfoy," Harry cut in, "your son is with the Weasley's. They'll take good care of him, that I can guarantee. I'll ask Hermione to put up wards around the house and if Lucius is anywhere nearby, he won't be able to get to him. Hermione can be as determined as a hippogriff when she wants to be and she won't let him near your son. That I can promise you."

Draco breathed out. "Thank you," he said with a watery smile. Harry couldn't recall him ever using those words before and stood up, still deep in thought.

"I reckon I can get you legal representation too," he said carefully; "Dean Thomas is a solicitor and a bloody good one believe it or not. He has an office in Diagon Alley. I can get him over here and he can probably have the questioning at least _halted_ for a while. Maybe get you bailed so you can go back to your son. Hermione says he's been frantic with worry about you."

Draco nodded, his eyes still desperate. "Thank you Potter."

Harry smiled wryly despite himself; "does this mean we're _friends_ now?" he couldn't keep the teasing tone from his voice and it _did_ seem to lift the mood somewhat.

"Don't push your luck," Draco retorted, though his dry lips twisted in a macabre half-smile of his own.

"Do you want me to get you some food?" Harry offered as an afterthought on his way out of the door. "I doubt they've been feeding you anything while you've been in here. Starvation is one of their ways of cracking suspects."

"I simply couldn't eat a thing," Draco replied honestly, raking a hand through his thinning hair. He'd been feeling sick to his stomach ever since he'd seen Astoria at the bottom of their stairs and he doubted that would change at any time in the near future. Every time he was reminded that his wife's body was lying on a cold slab in the mortuary a wave of bile rose in his throat and he was overcome with frantic shudders. Panic attacks that froze his muscles and left him gasping senselessly for air.

As Harry left, he slumped back in his chair, breathing out with a grateful relief that he'd never again expected to be targeted in Potter's direction. Whatever happened to _him_, Scorpius was going to be ok, and right now, that was all that mattered.

**HPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **Please review!

_Next chapter:_ Harry works a little bit of magic.


	14. Not enemies anymore

**Not enemies anymore- Ch13**

**Disclaimer: **See ch1.

* * *

When Scorpius next blinked opened his eyes, it took him a couple of disorientated moments to recollect where he actually was. The room was dark and his bed didn't seem to be in its usual position by his window. There was a tatty Falmouth Falcons pennant hanging over his bed and curling quidditch posters with figures zooming erratically everywhere, one of whom he recognised as a much younger looking Mr Weasley, geared up in full keeper attire. Scorpius' eyes narrowed in confusion.

Then everything hit him all at once and the sudden sense of pain was just incomprehensible. A great wave of nausea engulfed him as he shakily sat up, his senses suddenly heightened, almost to the point of being hyper-aware. _His mum… his dad… Merlin._

Scorpius staggered to his feet and stumbling in the dark room managed to get outside onto the narrow landing and locate the small bathroom, where he leaned over the toilet and promptly began retching, his throat parched and sore with the effort. There was nothing in him to throw up of course, and dazedly, he slumped to the blue tiled floor and leaned against the cold toilet cistern, closing his eyes and trembling like the whomping willow. He wrapped his arms around himself bleakly, shaking both from distress and lack of food and water.

"Scorp…?" Roses' hesitant voice sounded through the bathroom door, startling him; "Scorp... are you ok--" she corrected herself hastily feeling foolish at the question when that answer was obvious; "I mean, can I come in?"

"Just a second," his voice was numb again even to his own ears as he wiped his mouth and flushed the chain. He weakly struggled to his feet, opened the door and faced her. Her eyes were full of concern and compassion and her freckled brow was furrowed.

"Were you being sick?" she asked him softly, running some cold water in the sink and quickly transfiguring him a glass beaker, her wand motion effortless. She was perplexed by the absent look in his eyes. There was no emotion there- only complete sorrow.

"Trying to be sick," he mumbled, taking tiny sips of the cool liquid and actually managing to hold it down.

"My Uncle Harry spoke to your dad yesterday afternoon," she ventured as they finally left the bathroom, her leading him gently by the elbow as he walked on wobbly legs back to Hugo's cluttered room. She thought he might like some news of his father, given how worried he'd been about him the previous day.

Scorpius looked up, hope and dread welling in him as well as shock that he'd really been asleep for a _whole day_; "is he alright?" he stammered.

"They're still holding him at the Ministry," Rose reported as Scorpius sat back down on the bed and lowered his head, crestfallen at this information; "and according to Uncle Harry, he seemed more worried about _you_ than anything else they were doing to him there, but he was pretty upset of course."

Scorpius nodded silently; glad she wasn't trying to sugar-coat the truth for him.

"He has a solicitor now," Rose added as she sat beside him in the small space, so close their knees were touching; "Uncle Harry spoke to my mum a little while ago, just in case, but they can't hold him much longer for questioning apparently, under wizard law. Uncle Harry seems to think they'll let him go very soon. He knows you're here and my mum's put up wards around the house just in case your grandfather tries to get anywhere near you. Your dad seemed really worried about that, even though they don't know if he's aware of what's been going on in Devon or not."

Scorpius breathed out a sigh and put his head in his hands. "I—I can't believe this is happening," he murmured numbly; "I just can't believe my mum's dead, Rose. This is like the worst kind of nightmare you just can't wake up from."

Tears pricked Roses' own eyelids as she pulled Scorpius to her in a hug. He buried his face in her shoulders and she felt his shoulders shaking with sobs that he tried in vain to suppress and hearing him gulp back his tears.

"It's alright to cry," she said softly as she rubbed his slender back, wishing she could do or say something, _anything _to make him feel better; "you don't have to be embarrassed, this is _me,_ Scorp."

"I never got to tell her I loved her or anything," Scorpius choked out weakly and feeling hot shame wash over him at that insight, "do you think—do you think she knew?"

"Of course," Rose said instantly, "she was your _mum._ She was so proud of you."

"Do you think so?"

"I know so," Rose said adamantly as she handed him a tissue and he wiped his swollen eyes; "_I know_."

**HPHPHPHP**

"Hi Harry," Hermione said with a relieved smile as he apparated into her living room with a 'pop' and she set down the thick cook book she'd been reading in a futile hope that she'd be able to make a lamb casserole for her husband and son arriving home again in the near future. Not likely, the recipes looked more difficult than any N.E.W.T exam she'd ever taken. "What's the news from the Ministry?"

"It's good: they're letting Malfoy go tonight," Harry reported as he sat down in the arm chair closest to the fire; "Dean Thomas is a bloody miracle worker, remind me never to slag him off for being a West Ham fan ever again. He finally arrived at the Ministry, starts throwing his weight around and started quoting a _ton_ of legal bollocks at Fineus, Alfonso and Darius and they started panicking straight away. They were sweating a bit and basically admitted they have nothing concrete to hold Malfoy on and its all circumstantial evidence, even though there _is_ still suspicion that Astoria Malfoy's death wasn't an accident, I'm afraid. I expect he'll remain a suspect for quite a while though."

Hermione nodded sadly, thinking of the effect this would undoubtedly have on a young boy and a family already grieving, then she met Harry's eyes levelly as if sensing he was holding information back from her; "was it hard to get Malfoy a solicitor?" she enquired with interest, suspecting the real crux of the problem. She wasn't called the brightest witch of her age for nothing and she wondered what Harry had had to do to get him some help.

Harry's mouth quirked in a bemused smile, "what do _you_ reckon?"

"He certainly didn't make many friends at Hogwarts," Hermione conceded, curling her legs up on the sofa, "I bet Dean thought you'd gone absolutely barmy when you tried to hire him. A Gryffindor solicitor for a Slytherin of all things..."

"That's one way of putting it," Harry ran a hand through his touselled black hair as he stretched out his legs tiredly; "he thought I was joking at first, couldn't understand why I wanted to help _Malfoy_ after all he'd ever done back at school. He flat out refused at the start, actually." Harry grimaced at the memory of arguing with his former house mate and friend in his luxurious Diagon Alley office. It hadn't been pleasant, that was for certain.

"What did you say to persuade him?" Hermione asked, looking curious. "What magic did you work?" Dean Thomas was becoming almost legendary amongst wizarding circles in his propensity for his skilled defense and closing arguements in the Wizengamot courtroom, she'd bet anything it hadn't been very easy for Harry to persuade him to help Draco Malfoy.

"I said I wasn't doing it for Malfoy," Harry admitted with a reluctant sigh, falling back on the simple truth of the matter; "and that I was doing it for his kid. Dean eventually came round, he's a dad too remember, though I think he's still reserving judgement on the Malfoy's, like a lot of people are I suppose."

Hermione's eyes softened immeasurably as Harry continued.

"I know what it's like to grow up without parents, 'Mione and even what its like to lose those who are as close as family, like Sirius and Remus. It's bad enough the young lad's lost his mum under the worst possible circumstances. If there's _anything,_ any tiny little thing that I can do to stop him losing his dad too, then I need to try. If I have to fall back on my surname, argue with mates or bring up my 'heroic' events of the war to do that and to get my own way in this, then so be it. It's not magic, it's logic."

Hermione just nodded, there was just nothing more that she could say to that. Harry was right. Scorpius and Draco needed all the help they could get at the moment and a little bit of the Potter 'logic' could only be a good thing in this instance. Harry didn't throw his weight around too much at the Ministry, even given who he actually was and what he had done for the wizarding world, so she knew he must have been fairly desperate to help Scorpius over the past couple of days to resort to such methods as bribing Dean Thomas.

"How _is_ the boy?" Harry added, looking towards the foot of the stairs like he was reading her mind. He'd been concerned about Scorpius' well-being since yesterday and perplexed at Malfoy's insistence that Lucius stay away from him. That was a bit weird, though hardly surprising- as far as Harry was concerned, Lucius was the devil incarnate, despite people saying he'd changed since the end of the war.

"He woke up a little while ago, he's been asleep since yesterday, the little mite. Rose is up there with him now. He'll be pleased to know his dad's definitely coming home at last," she sighed; "poor thing. He hasn't eaten anything or spoke much since this has all happened I know; I think it's just shock. He's not even getting angry or upset yet… otherwise I probably would have asked Ginny for a calming draught."

Harry's green eyes were distant, "I don't blame him. It must have been horrific to find his mum there like that and the grieving process is a complex one. The lad's probably still in denial."

"There'll be the funeral to organise next," Hermione added sombrely, finishing his trail of thought. "What a way to start the summer. Rose told me that Scorpius couldn't wait to get home because his mum and dad had lots of things planned for him. They even give the house elf time _off _apparently, so it's just the three of them at the cottage."

"There's no denying he's a devoted father," Harry admitted as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That was what actually convinced me of his innocence- there's just no way he could put his son through this. There's no way any loving father could..." he lifted his shoulders, "speaking of fathers...you heard from Ron today?"

"This morning," Hermione brightened at the mention of her husband, "he and Hugo are having a brilliant time he says. He's commentating on Estonia Vs Croatia tonight. He told me to remind you and Ginny to tune in to the wireless."

"Wouldn't miss it," Harry grinned, looking forward to his best mate's commentary but then sighed as he was jerked back to the present; "did you tell him about Malfoy?"

"Not yet," Hermione admitted, "it'll only give him something to get wound up about when he needs to be concentrating on the matches, plus I didn't want to upset Hugo. He's fond of Scorpius, Rose says. I'll tell them what's gone on when they get back."

The two of them looked up then and exchanged glances at the muffled footsteps coming downstairs and a minute later, Rose appeared in the living room doorway, trailed by Scorpius. Hermione visibly brightened again at seeing him up and about, even though he looked paler than ever and his eyes were red-rimmed. He looked startled to see Harry there and a bit shy all of a sudden, his eyes unconsciously flicking to the scar on Harry's forehead.

"Scorpius," Harry held out a hand to him kindly, noticing his drawn, thin looking face and enormous, sad grey eyes; "it's good to meet you, I'm just very sorry of the circumstances. Rose speaks very highly of you."

"And you too, sir," Scorpius shook his hand tentatively, wondering if Mr Potter was here with news of his father. He soon had his answer.

"Your dad's coming home tonight," Harry broke the news gently and felt a sudden lump in his own throat at the visible relief he could see in the young boys face at that one simple sentence. "I've just had a chat with his solicitor."

"He is?" Scorpius felt Rose squeeze his hand and squeezed hers tightly back, the instant relief turning his bones to liquid.

"It's a terrible, terrible situation," Harry spoke freely for he knew the boy would rather hear the truth and was adult enough to accept it- the tragedy of his mothers death would have to make him grow up fast; "and I feel that unfortunately your dad's going to be a suspect in your mother's death for a long time. I'm very sorry Scorpius."

Scorpius was silent for a moment and then spoke, his voice dignified. "Thank you," he said quietly as he lifted his head and met equally solemn green eyes, "for helping my dad get out of there. I know you weren't exactly friends when you were at Hogwarts, so thank you for believing in him enough to try now."

Harry was impressed by the younger Malfoy's maturity, even given the horrific situation and nodded. Nothing more needed to be said.

"Are you hungry love?" Hermione offered, breaking the tense silence.

"Not very," Scorpius admitted, as Rose made a little face behind her mothers back at the very notion of her cooking and Harry hid a smile at his niece's rolled eyes. "But thank you."

"I can floo back to your cottage with you now if you want," Harry offered, eyeing the clock above the mantelpiece, "and wait with you until your dad gets back. He should be setting off any time from London. Portkey I think. Hermione can send your trunk on afterwards."

Scorpius nodded almost eagerly at the thought of seeing his dad soon; "thank you Mr Potter."

"Harry," Harry prompted gently and Scorpius nodded once more, though he felt a bit weird about calling adults by their first names, _especially _Mr Potter. Then he turned to Hermione.

"Thank you Mrs Weasley," he said sincerely, extending a cordial hand, "for coming and fetching me and bringing me here so I wouldn't be on my own. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome here any time love," Hermione replied, still hardly believing that this well-mannered boy was related to Draco Malfoy in any way, shape or form, as she took his thin, cold hand between two of her much warmer ones and patted it gently. She finally realised that it was time to start putting the prejudices of the past behind her when it came to the Malfoy's, though of course her husband would be another matter. She'd talk with him when he got back from the Cup. Rose and Scorpius were friends it was as simple as that, it was no use letting childhood grudges of their parents' get in the way of that anymore.

Scorpius turned to Rose next, but no words needed to be said, he merely pulled her to him in a tight hug as Hermione and Harry turned away tactfully and pretended to examine the charred bricks of the fireplace. "Owl me whenever you want," Rose whispered softly; "I'll use Pig to send a reply back, it just might not be very quick- and my mum's right: come here if you need to, ok? Just floo directly, Uncle Harry's set up a direct route between us in the fireplace directory now."

He nodded once more then grabbed a handful of floo powder and stepped into the green flames right after Harry disappeared. With a brusque command and a roar of flame, he vanished too, leaving Rose looking up at her mum with concern.

"He's going to be alright mum, isn't he?" she couldn't help asking, her lower lip wobbling slightly as the emotions of the last two days finally caught up with her.

Hermione's brown eyes were soft as she pulled her daughter to her in a tight hug, brushing at her damp cheeks; "he will be in time love, that's all these things need. Just a bit of time."

**HPHPHPHP**

When Harry stepped out of the fireplace in the Malfoy's plush cottage, he cast a quick cleaning charm to get rid of the layer of dust that seemed to have covered the furniture in such a short space of time and freshened the still-musty air. As an afterthought, he lit a couple of candles, just as Scorpius arrived, being careful not to look in the direction of the hallway and suppressing a shiver. His face grew sad as he surveyed the silent house. It seemed so… empty. Gloomy. He'd never felt like _this_ in the cottage before as it was usually so homey, it was more a feeling he was accustomed to in his grandfather's unwelcoming mansion.

"You should eat something," Harry suggested gently, sensing how on edge and miserable he was feeling, "I know it's the very last thing you probably feel like doing but you'll get ill if you don't eat or drink and your dad won't be very pleased if he thinks you haven't taken care of yourself." _He has enough to worry about..._ Harry thought it, but didn't voice the words out loud.

Scorpius nodded woodenly in response.

"_He _won't have eaten anything either," Harry said, flicking his wand to light the kitchen, which was looking admittedly a bit barren, "the Ministry isn't exactly renowned for being fair to its suspects…what do you think you could manage?"

Scorpius lifted his shoulders; "maybe a piece of toast," he said quietly, not wanting to seem rude, though truthfully he doubted he could manage anything.

Harry looked dubious as he flicked his wand; "my cooking charms aren't brilliant," he said as a piece of thickly-buttered toast instantly appeared on a Wedgewood tea-plate, "_Ginny_ usually does the 'cooking' in our house, but it's infinitely better than Roses' mums attempts. Hermione Weasley is a liability in the kitchen; she burns everything which is a bit weird for a witch who's brilliant at everything else. When Ron isn't away refereeing, he's the chef of the household."

A small smile lifted Scorpius' lips now as he sat at the pine table; "Rose tells me that about Mrs Weasley all the time. She loves the food at Hogwarts. Especially the breakfasts. She eats everything."

"Like her dad then," Harry revealed as Scorpius picked up the toast and chewed absently at the crust, pleased his mindless chatter seemed to be providing a small distraction for the sombre youth; "he's a real gannet."

"Is it true Mr Weasley once tried to make my dad eat slugs?" Scorpius asked curiously after a couple of moments of silence as he picked at the bread.

Harry smirked at the memory which was incredibly funny with hindsight though of course it hadn't been at the time, "yes. Only it backfired, on _Ron_ that is. He's not been able to look at a jelly slug since without going green."

Scorpius nodded, evidently thinking hard; "my dad told me you and Mr Weasley saved his life at the Battle of Hogwarts," he ventured suddenly; "...pulled him on a broom out of danger."

Harry looked incredibly startled at the revelation and that a _Malfoy_ had given him and Ron credit for anything, "your _dad_ said that?"

Scorpius nodded once more and then lifted his eyes to Harry as he took a small bite of toast; "he used to tell me all kinds of stories about you when I was little…and now you're saving him again. That's _real_ magic, Mr Potter."

Before Harry could say anything, the front door suddenly opened with a creak and footfalls could be heard in the hallway. "Dad!" Scorpius said joyfully as he hopped out of his seat and raced into the hallway. Harry followed the boy at a slightly slower pace, wanting to give them some semblance of privacy if nothing else.

Sure enough, Draco was pulling off his outer robe, looking dishevelled and tired. His eyes brightened the second he saw Scorpius and heedless of how sweaty and grimy he felt, he instantly engulfed him in a huge hug. "I'm so glad you're ok," Harry heard him say in a choked voice as he reached the hall.

"I was so worried dad," Scorpius looked positively frantic even though his father was stood right infront of him; "I thought they'd taken you to Azkaban and—"

"I think that was the plan," Draco admitted sombrely as he frowned down at his son, "but Dean Thomas is actually a bloody good solicitor, though I didn't understand a single _word_ of what he was telling the Inquisitorial Squad…" He looked up then and saw Harry in his hallway and started in surprise.

The expression on his face was hard to decipher, but Harry suspected that there was actually some degree of _gratitude_ there. "Potter…"

"Malfoy," Harry responded levelly. His face was placid.

Scorpius looked from his dad to Harry and back again with barely disguised interest. "Mr Potter flooed back with me from Port Cicely," he announced rather unnecessarily.

Draco nodded and swallowed hard at the dawning realisation that whilst Potter may have issues with _him_ understandably, he certainly had no qualms in being nice to his son. At one point, such a thought would have angered and distressed him, who wanted to be in debt to Harry Potter after all? Now though, he was mature enough to accept the situation and certainly not foolish enough to not understand how much effort it had taken Harry to help _him_, also; "thank you," he said seriously. "For what you did, Potter." Then he did something that completely shocked both Harry and Scorpius.

He extended a hand to Harry.

Harry hesitated and then after a moment shook it. It was only the briefest of handshakes and both men knew that whilst they could never be friends for too much had happened over the years, at least they weren't enemies anymore.

Somehow, that was all that mattered.

"What happened with the squad?" Harry asked finally as he shoved his hands awkwardly in his pockets.

"They've told me not to leave the country," Draco replied carefully, revealing that whilst he had been freed, he was undoubtedly still a suspect in Astoria's untimely death; "but there's no conclusive evidence, so…" his voice trailed off. "Do you—do you really think Tori was pushed too, Potter? Or got into some kind of argument with somebody?"

Scorpius held his breath as Harry let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose thoughtfully.

"It was the angle she fell," he said finally, "and the fact that she had a broken neck—but I honestly don't know." He lifted his head and met lonely grey eyes; "if she _was_ pushed in some way, Malfoy, then I guarantee the Ministry will find out who did it. I just don't know when."

Looking subdued, Draco nodded and then looked down at his son; "you need to rest," he told him gravely, "tomorrow—we-- we need to arrange your mother's fu--funeral. Call mother and Lucius I suppose…" Harry didn't miss the barely repressed shudder from the Malfoy's at that nor the tears that sprang to both their eyes. They were almost mirror images rather like he, James and Albus were- aside from Scorpius' thicker head of hair of course, alike right down to their pointy chins. It really was astonishing.

He pulled on his dress robe, knowing they needed some time to grieve, having been robbed of it immediately after the harrowing event; "if there's anything else I can do," he said simply, "you know where I am. Hermione too—she says to send Scorpius to Port Cicely any time. I took the liberty of having your floo's connected for you; I didn't think you'd mind in this instance."

The look of loss and thankfulness in Draco's face was almost heartbreaking then. "Thank you, Potter," he said again almost in a feverent whisper.

Harry nodded, smiled kindly at Scorpius once more and then apparated with a crack.

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **As ever, please review!! Seriously, whenever I see any review alerts in my inbox, I do a little happy dance, even when I'm at work (or supposed to be working, lol). It makes me so pleased to know people are reading this! :)

_Next chapter: _The aftermath of Astoria's funeral and an unhappy Scorpius returns to Hogwarts for his fourth year...


	15. Partially numb

**Partially numb**

**Disclaimer: **See ch1.

* * *

**September**** 1st 2019, King's Cross Station**

Scorpius actually found that he was _glad_ to be returning to Hogwarts for the start of his fourth school year, after the traumatic events of the last couple of months. Things at home seemed suddenly… oppressive and he wanted to be back around his friends and throw himself back into his lessons once more.

Anything to forget, if that was even possible.

Scorpius suspected not: nothing about his life since the start of the summer had been regular after all. Yet sometimes, for brief moments, minutes, sometimes even hours, Scorpius _would_ find himself forgetting what had happened. He'd find himself involved in his homework (which he was still trying his best to keep on top of), a good book or something on the wireless and then, like a switch had shifted, it would hit him once more and he'd lift his head, despaired.

His mother was dead. The inquisitorial squad _still_ thought his father had done it and the two of them were constantly being hounded by ruthless reporters from the Daily Prophet if they so much as stepped into their front garden, besieged by questions, and in his father's case- insults and accusations. The newspaper was still printing their dreadful slanderous lies about him, which though both of them tried their best to ignore, still wormed their way into their minds.

The worst times for Scorpius however were on a morning when he woke up from a restless sleep and that feeling of dread and heartache washed over him and it took him a split second to comprehend exactly _why_ he was feeling so destroyed. Sometimes he was physically sick, other times he just lay there, staring up at the ceiling. Scorpius felt sure he was still partially numb from it all.

His father, now a mere shell of the man he had once been and visibly struggling to cope without his wife around, had taken an extended leave of absence from the Ministry, fearing the glances and scrutiny from his co-workers but wanting to just be there for his son in what was a horrible adjustment period for the pair of them. Whilst Scorpius worried for him, he had to admit that he felt somewhat relieved to have his dad around.

Draco had initially felt that it was far too soon for his son to be returning to school at all, but Scorpius just didn't know what else to do with himself, other than mope around at home. He was desperately striving for some semblance of normality again- even though he still woke up every single night or in the early hours of the morning bathed in a cold sweat and with tears beading in his eyes, gasping for air against the horrific bad dreams that undoubtedly plagued him. The memory of his mother's still body lying there at the bottom of those stairs would stay with him forever.

…

The funeral had been the hardest thing he'd _ever_ had to go through, of that he had no doubt. He and his father had stood side by side as Astoria Malfoy had finally been laid to rest, accompanied at the service by dozens of her healer friends, her former patients from St Mungo's and other friends alike. His estranged aunt Daphne was there too, though she kept her distance from the Malfoy's and he knew she was only there because of her name. The two sister's had never been close, after all and Scorpius truthfully barely knew her. He had not even received one birthday card from her the whole time he was growing up and he didn't know his cousins either, who both attended Beaubaxton's boarding school in France.

For the first time, Scorpius had fully comprehended just how much his mum had been loved, not only by him and his dad, but by everyone whose life she had touched in some small way. The ceremony itself was absolutely filled with people, all of whom offered tearful condolences to he and his father as they filed past them.

The clothes they had all worn that day had been bright and cheerful, robes in every colour of the rainbow, for Draco insisted that Astoria would not have wanted the day to be sombre and depressing. She would have wanted a celebration of her life, rather than for her death to be mourned in tears and pain, and Scorpius had agreed with his dad wholeheartedly. Somehow by some miracle, he and his father had held it together long enough to chant incantations and blessings as they said their last goodbyes to the woman who had meant so much to them. The tears would only fall later, in private.

Lucius and Narcissa had arrived back in England before Draco could even floo call them, much to Scorpius' surprise, arriving in Devon not long after Mr Potter had left them after Draco had been released from the Ministry. They had come back from Hong Kong upon reading an article in the Daily Prophet, Lucius explained, grave faced as he regarded his son and grandson. Could they do anything? Was there _anything_ they could do to help to ease the burden?

Now was a time for families to come together, Lucius had added, embracing his son, patting his shoulders as Draco had numbly mourned the loss of his wife; there would be _no more_ petty arguments. No more squabbles. He, Lucius, would do whatever he could to ease the sorrow with this situation, for he too had loved Astoria like a daughter.

Draco had broken down as his father had embraced him and Scorpius had watched the scene uncomfortably, both grateful to them for returning in time for the funeral but resigned to the fact that Lucius was around once more and particularly at a time when his father was so vulnerable and distraught. Since then, they had been regular visitors to Devon, checking up on the two of them on an almost daily basis and much to Scorpius' chagrin, he and his father now frequented Malfoy Manor for dinner again, which seemed even more dismal without his mother around, though he said nothing of course. His father was grieving and it didn't seem fair for him to behave like an ungrateful brat.

Scorpius honestly didn't know what to think now that his grandparents were now back in their lives to such an extent, but he understood that his dad probably needed other people to be around him again, especially with him heading back to Hogwarts for the new term, and admittedly Narcissa and Lucius _had_ both been a good source of support to them both in the past couple of months. Lucius hadn't mentioned the school in Holland or Durmstrang to him once after all, but deep down Scorpius felt it would only be a matter of time before the subject reared its ugly head again. He knew his grandfather and it _was_ only a matter of time.

…

As Scorpius packed his trunk for school now, sliding in new textbooks and starched looking parchment, his father leaned against the doorframe to his bedroom and watched him, occasionally offering an idle comment or suggestion, though they were half-hearted. Scorpius knew his father was making a conscious effort to hold everything together for him, which was admirable given the fact there had been no further developments in his wife's case. Truthfully, Scorpius respected his father for trying to maintain some kind of routine in the household even given what he was going through.

Draco had methodically cooked and cleaned aided by their sole house elf who had now returned from her holiday, almost on autopilot. Scorpius knew that he was barely functioning deep down however and he was worried about returning to school and leaving him on his own, especially in the house where his mother had been found dead. Draco was adamant though that the house contained _happy_ memories too, and here he felt closest to Astoria. Scorpius found that somewhat macabre truth be told, but he imagined it was his father's coping mechanism so offered no protest, knowing people grieved in different ways. He for one couldn't wait to get away, from his mothers greenhouse, her neatly ordered cupboards and from that gruesome image of her lying dead at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'll be fine," Draco said, trying to smile for his son now as if he sensed his grim thoughts. "You're only a floo away at most, and you _can_ owl me and floo call me whenever you want, you know. It's not long until Christmas after all. Mother and father offered to host us this year."

"That's _very_ accommodating of them," Scorpius tried not to let his voice bristle but failed. He knew with what had already gone on, that pettiness or resentment towards Lucius was the last thing his father needed. Sulky behaviour wasn't really conducive in this instance.

Sure enough, Draco eyed him reproachfully as he folded his arms; "they're trying, Scorp," he offered mildly.

Scorpius flushed as he shoved his quidditch socks in his trunk. "Sorry." Only he wasn't and he didn't know why. He had to be careful he knew, otherwise he'd end up a bitter and resentful teenager and that was the last thing he wanted and the last thing his _mother _would have wanted.

**HPHPHPHP**

Draco accompanied Scorpius to the station by portkey, just as he always did. When they arrived at bustling Kings Cross, Scorpius couldn't help thinking how surreal it all was and fell gravely silent letting the memories wash over him. Only a couple of months ago, he'd stepped _off _the Express, eagerly anticipating his summer holidays with his parents and now he was back here again and his mum was dead, yet still life went on around him as if nothing unusual was amiss. This was barmy. Simply nutters. He reflected on how different the start of his fourth year was to his third. Last year he'd been happy, excited to see his friends... this year he felt like a mere shell- hollow on the inside.

His father looked uncomfortable too, as they pushed the metallic luggage trolley through the station, bypassing crowds of eager muggles heading for that days commute out of the city and avoiding those that feverishly rushed _in_, heading for the tube to journey elsewhere in the vast metropolis. London still scared Scorpius at times, even though he knew that it was silly to feel intimidated by a city. It was just so… big in comparison to Devon and there were so many people that it got confusing for him at times. Today the crowds made him feel even worse, as if he was stood on the outside, merely looking in.

As they stepped through the invisible barrier onto platform 9 and three quarters, Scorpius became instantly aware of the speculative eyes that rested on him and his father from the hoards of people gathered. He could almost read some of the accusing glares directed at Draco from parents of the other students, as well as understanding the looks of sympathy thrown his way by his peers.

"Everyone's staring," he mumbled self consciously; looking up at his dad and feeling his cheeks sear a hot pink. He'd been expecting something like this of course given the ongoing coverage about them in the Prophet, but that didn't make it any easier.

"_Let_ them stare," Draco countered haughtily, lifting his head with dignity, though he looked as pale and unhappy as he felt- it was so hard being here without his wife and the memories were making his head spin: if _only_ Tori had accompanied him to the station at the end of last term, she might still be here with him; "we have done nothing wrong."

"I know, but--"

"Scorp!" the joyful cry caused both he and his dad to spin around in unison then, as Rose rushed up to him, elbowing first years out of the way in her haste as she threw her arms tightly around his neck, both successfully breaking the awkwardness of people's stares and causing Draco to raise his eyebrows in something that looked like surprised amusement all of a sudden. Scorpius realised then that it was the first time he'd seen his dad look anything other than sad or miserable in weeks and his own heart lifted slightly.

"Oof!" Scorpius couldn't prevent the small, relieved smile from pulling at his lips as he hugged Rose back tightly, realising how pleased he was to see her again, smell her familiar apple shampoo and see the sparkle in her deep blue eyes. Since he'd spent those two days in Port Cicely and in the run up to his mother's funeral and afterwards, they'd exchanged brief owls, but that was all. He'd missed talking to her _so_ much. "Merlin, am I _glad_ to see you."

Rose's freckled brow crinkled as she looked around her, eyeing the eyewitnesses with visible distaste and sensing her friend's hot embarrassment, as well as Mr Malfoy's, "ignore the people staring, Scorp. They have nothing better to do." This was said deliberately loudly and some parents ushered their children away, tutting in complete disgust as they eyed the trio. Scorpius would have snickered, but he still wasn't quite at that stage yet. He would have felt guilty for feeling amused or even happy and he suspected it would remain that way for quite some time to come.

Roses' eyes met Draco's, then. "How are you, Mr Malfoy?" she asked him uncertainly, a little tentatively, as if almost sensing he'd fall apart at the question.

And _what_ a question it was.

Draco racked his brains for a suitable answer as he met the blue eyes of the young girl. "I'm…." _depressed. Under suspicion of murder. Sometimes I feel so alone that I feel there's no point in carrying on… I'm just trying to keep going for my son's sake..._

"…coping," he ended finally as he smoothed down his robes, striving for dignity, yet immensely glad the watchers had backed away from them at last. "I'm coping Rose. Thank you very much for asking."

Rose nodded and then Draco became aware of Mr and Mrs Weasley stood right behind their daughter, he'd been so preoccupied watching Rose and his son reuniting that he'd missed them at first. They were eyeing Draco with some trepidation now, and then Hermione spoke to _him_ for the first time in more than twenty years, causing a startled intake of breath from both of their children.

Scorpius and Rose had both simply longed for their parents to speak to one another after all, ever since they had became friends in their first year, and now they were talking _at last_, only there was no smugness or feeling of victory from either of them, not at the circumstances that had brought them to this pivotal moment. Hermione Weasley's voice was delicate and Draco Malfoy's voice was somewhat defeated. Only Mr Weasley remained silent; his arms folded and eyes appraising as he watched the tentative vocal exchange.

"I'm so sorry for what happened to your wife, Malfoy," Hermione said simply as she took a hesitant step forwards, "and for what you and your son are going through. I can't imagine how you must be feeling."

Draco merely nodded, pressing a hand to Scorpius' shoulder as if for support. He felt winded all of a sudden at this unexpected olive branch. "Thank you," he finally managed, his eyes flitting from Hermione, to Ron, to Rose and back again, "and thank you for taking care of Scorpius, after-- what happened." He took a deep breath, "I realise I never extended my gratitude for that."

Mrs Weasley smiled at Scorpius and kept her voice deliberately light, "it was no trouble. He's a good lad, you must be very proud of him."

"I am," Draco smiled at his son now, a real smile though his eyes were filled with haunted pain and sorrow. "I am."

Next Roses' dad stepped forwards, and to Rose and Scorpius', not to mention _Draco's,_ immense surprise, he cordially extended a hand, which Draco shook, uncertainly. First _Potter's_ hand and now this... "If there's… anything we can do…" his voice was uncomfortable and stiff, but Scorpius instinctively knew that the older man meant every word of what he was saying. Somehow there was more sentiment in his bumbling, awkward offer than what there had ever been with Lucius.

Draco managed a little smile, though it was wobbly, and merely nodded to Ron, trying to portray his gratitude with his eyes, as Rose and Scorpius just looked at each other, bewildered.

The Hogwarts Express whistled shrilly then, indicating for students to board, and Rose tugged gently on Scorpius' arm, "everyone else is waiting in the usual carriage for us. Hugo says he'll see you when we get back to school and he'll tell you about the quidditch cup and Berlin. They didn't want to overwhelm you all at once, see. He's sat with Lily in another carriage, but he's wishing he could be with Meera I bet…" She chattered on and Scorpius smiled softly, letting her voice wash over him.

Draco felt a sudden surge of gratitude for this feisty redhead who his son was so fond of, and now he could see why. Rose was intelligent and tactful and she knew Scorpius well enough to deduce that he wouldn't want a ton of unwanted attention lavished on him on the Kings Cross platform of all places. He felt utterly relieved that Scorpius had her as a friend now. Undoubtedly, Hogwarts _was_ the best place for him to be and he knew then, that Rose could help him cope, probably better than he himself could infact. He'd felt pretty bloody useless lately as it happened.

Scorpius looked up at his father then and Draco could see the sudden tears sparkling in his eyes. He pulled his son into a hug to shield him from prying eyes as Rose, Ron and Hermione moved a respectful distance away from them and said their own goodbyes, shrouded by steam from the train. "Don't cry, Scorp," he urged him softly, "or you'll set me off."

He heard Scorpius taking in gulping wavering breaths and then felt him nod against his shoulder. "You'll be fine," he told him firmly, "alright? Get back into your studies and just concentrate on quidditch. Make me and—and your mum proud, yes?"

Scorpius sucked in another wobbly breath, the words cutting him like a knife, another bitter reminder that there were so many things his mum would now _never_ get to see: him playing in another quidditch match... passing his O.W.L.S... his N.E.W.T.S... graduating from Hogwarts...when he eventually got married and had children...

"Ok," he mumbled weakly, fighting back his distress as his heart thudded slowly. Sure enough, when he lifted his head, his eyes were bright, but there was no visible sign of tears, though Scorpius had to physically bite his lip to stop them.

"Good lad," Draco said softly, patting him on the back as he watched him follow Rose up the rickety steps onto the train, lugging his owl and trunk after him. Every step that Scorpius took away from him was like another little loss for Draco and he had to stop his own tears now, watching Scorpius leave him behind.

Draco knew though, that no matter how hard this situation was for _him_, it was also traumatic for his son. Scorpius had lost his mother at a highly impressionable age and it was up to him now to raise Scorpius the way he knew _Astoria_ would have wanted. That was the most important thing of all. That was what mattered, that he did Tori proud. He'd put aside his own anguish and despair, for the sake of his son.

"He'll be fine," Hermione's voice at his elbow caused him to turn and meet both of the Weasley's eyes, in which he now saw only kindness; "he's strong."

"Much stronger than _me_. Than I ever was," Draco admitted quietly, watching in through the glass windows as Scorpius was greeted by his friends. His son's shoulders were hunched, his expression tentative.

"But you grew up," Ron said softly. His voice was clear and almost wondering as he eyed his former nemesis. "Harry said you'd changed and I'm starting to believe it."

"Yes," Draco said finally, meeting both their eyes with that same wobbly expression, "I grew up."

**HPHPHPHP**

Scorpius was relieved when the Express finally pulled into Hogsmeade station late that afternoon. The trip up to Scotland had been… painful. His friends (other than Rose) hadn't really known how to behave around him, which he supposed was understandable of course. Even _Lysander_ had been a little awkward at first, despite all the owls that he'd exchanged with everyone in the run up to his mother's funeral and in the weeks afterwards.

When the forced, jolly silence got too much to bear, he had finally spoken. "Please don't treat me any differently."

"How—how do you want us to treat you then?" Albus had ventured, hesitantly as he cracked his knuckles, his green eyes so like his father's. The carriage was fairly silent, the only noise coming from the howling wind that blew against the trains windows. Bloody British weather- rain in September for Merlin's sake!

"Like Rose does," Scorpius had replied, his eyes meeting hers briefly as she smiled at him gently, "just… treat me like I'm _Scorpius_."

"But--" Meera's voice was hesitant from where she was leaning against Lorcan's shoulder. "I mean…"

"My mum died," Scorpius had broke in then, trying not to cry, "but I came back here because I need to start getting my life as back to normal as I can, if that's even possible. Look, I know its going to be difficult alright, but you lot treating me like I'm made of--of _glass_ isn't going to help."

His friends had exchanged pensive glances again and then Lorcan pulled a velvet bag out of his pocket, breaking the silence once more; "do you want to see the trick my mum--I mean—my _parents_ got me for my birthday?" he bit his lip awkwardly at the slip of the tongue and the others cringed.

Scorpius had managed a smile that at least _someone_ was trying, even if it wasn't a brilliant attempt, "yeah. I would. And it's ok, you _can _talk about your mum, you know."

"We just… didn't want to remind you of what happened," Phillius ventured bravely.

"I know," Scorpius was rather surprised at everyone's unusual degree of tact today, even Albus', as he loosened his robes impatiently, "c'mon then Lorcan, let's see this trick of yours…"

…

Now, as the students hefted their personal belongings off the train, he followed his friends out to where the carriages would be waiting, trying to avoid the raindrops that splashed down on them from the cloud-laden sky. The rainclouds had certainly followed them north.

First years scurried around pensively underfoot, looking for Hagrid and he had to take a couple of hurried steps so he wouldn't trip over them on the platform. He realised he'd grown another few inches over the summer and was surprised that he hadn't noticed until now. He was _definitely_ going to be the tallest boy in his year again and was even taller than some of the fifth years now.

Thankfully, some of the stares from fellow students at the station had faded, Scorpius realised as he pulled his luggage together; he imagined everyone was just so excited to be at Hogwarts again that he would soon be old news. At least he hoped so, anyway. He _still_ hated attention.

He followed his friends out to the road, now mushy with rainwater and then skidded to a halt at the sight that awaited him. His stomach lurched and his heart felt heavy as he dropped his trunk, gripping Thea's cage tightly to him, the sudden noise causing his friends and peers to eye him speculatively as Albus, Lorcan, Phillius and Meera hopped into their own carriage, which instantly sped up the hill.

"Scorp?" Rose had stopped short too and turned back, perplexed at seeing the visible upset crossing her friends face all of a sudden. His grey eyes looked haunted and any smidgen of colour had drained from his already sallow skin, as he gazed fixedly at the rickety carriages.

"I--I can _see_ them," he whispered, taking a hasty step backwards and almost tripping over his fallen belongings.

"See what?" Lysander asked, exchanging a worried glance with Rose at Scorp's palpable distress.

"The--the thestrals." Scorpius gazed at the ugly creatures in shock, his eyes taking in their skeletal bodies and gnarled wings. They looked like decrepit mutant horses with their reptilian skin and ugly faces, and the young wizard couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through his body as he eyed their scaly legs and bony back.

"Oh Scorp…" Rose felt tears pricking her own eyes then. For once, she just didn't know what to say.

Lysander saved the situation, taking Scorp's things and placing them in the carriage, beckoning for Rose to climb inside too. "Come on mate," he said gently, "it's time to go."

Scorpius sat completely motionless however as the carriage trundled up the hill to Hogwarts. He didn't speak and he barely blinked, as Lysander and Rose watched him with concern, not saying anything at all. The two of them knew that seeing the ugly creatures had reminded him of the harrowing time he'd had since his mother's death and they wished to Merlin that he hadn't seen them.

To them, the thestrals were invisible, though they knew of their existence of course. Lysander's own mum had been able to see them since she was a child, and since the Battle of Hogwarts, Rose knew her own mum and dad could see them too. They both knew the creatures were harmless but somehow that made them all the more poignant- they were deemed to be unlucky and served as potent reminders of death to any wizard who had the misfortune to encounter them.

_Poor Scorpius. _Rose gently slipped her hand into his and squeezed it lightly as a gesture of comfort. He made no facial response or indicated he was even aware of her, but after a moment she felt the light pressure of his fingers linking back with hers. "It's going to be alright," she whispered, "eventually it will start to get better. I promise."

His eyes were damp as he looked first at her and then Lysander, before slowly nodding and then gazing out of the carriage window at the pouring rain once more.

**HPHPHPHP****HPHPHPHP**

**A/N:** Ok, I had a slight dilemma with this chapter- I wasn't sure if Scorpius **would** be able to see the thestrals or not, given that even though he hadn't _witnessed _his mother's death per se, he was still touched by her death in some respect. I hope I pulled it off at least semi-successfully, but if nothing else, at least there's a bit of Rose/Scorpius comfort for you all to enjoy!

...Over 100 reviews now! Woo!! Thanks so much! I'm thrilled, seriously, you lot are brilliant! Thanks so much also to everyone who has favourited this story and has it on alert!

_Next chapter:_ a dawning realisation for Draco.


	16. The pensieve of Lucius Malfoy

**The ****pensieve of Lucius Malfoy**

**Disclaimer: **See ch1.

**A/N: **Um warning, long chapter! I tried to split it but it just wouldn't let me. Enjoy :)

* * *

**December****, 2019**

Christmas was fast approaching and life at Hogwarts was getting back to normal, slowly but surely for Scorpius, or whatever normal actually _was_, because of that he was no longer certain. In all honesty he wasn't certain about a lot of things anymore, other than the fact that he now _hated_ being by himself. Too much alone time as far as he was concerned, gave him far too much time to think.

He just didn't want to think anymore.

Scorpius always made a conscious effort to never be on his own for too long now, finding that if he did, he was definitely sure to brood or dwell on the recent horrific events. Instead, he surrounded himself with his usual circle of friends, either in the common room, in the Great Hall or in the grounds; otherwise, he made certain that Rose and Lysander were around him even if they were just studying in the library. Though he never said _why_ he wanted them around him so much, they seemed to sense his thoughts and made sure they were always there for him. Quidditch too was an _excellent_ diversion from dark thoughts he soon discovered, just as his father had suggested back at the station platform, and Rose seemed more than happy to practice with him all the hours they could, even if they didn't have an actual game coming up. High up in the air on his broom, Scorpius knew that it _was_ purely only psychological, but he felt he was actually leaving some problems behind him on the ground.

Much to his surprise and relief, Scorpius had also found that his ever present nightmares he'd had at home and at the start of term were gradually diminishing somewhat. It had been awful at first, waking up at all hours of the night, gasping back his cries and blinking away images of his mother… the thestrals…. He'd even charmed his drapes so he wouldn't wake up others in his dormitory at ungodly hours with his stifled sobs, but Lysander, the good friend that he was, seemed to have sensed what was going on with his nightmares and was always there as a shoulder to cry on if Scorpius needed it anyway. Sometimes the two of them sat whispering about nothing in the early hours of the morning, being careful not to wake others in their dorm, simply sharing a big bag of toffees and looking at chocolate frog cards. Now more than ever, Scorpius was grateful to his two closest friends for just being there for him. Lysander he could always rely on for distracting chats about all manner of mysterious creature, companiable chewing of muggle sweets or the like and Rose… well, Rose he could always rely on simply for _hugs_.

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

It was the second week of December when Scorpius received an owl from his grandfather at breakfast one misty Saturday morning. At first he thought it merely contained a casual letter from them; Lucius and Narcissa had been sending him brief notes enquiring about his welfare and his lessons from time to time, which Scorpius was surprised by, but grateful at least that they were there for his _father _who was now back at work and who spent evenings with them frequently at the Manor for dinner parties and the like, he had been informed. Scorpius was glad that his dad too, was getting his life back together in some respect though he knew it would be a long struggle.

As he unrolled the yellowing parchment and absently gave the posting owl a treat, cursing as it nipped his fingers, his grey eyes skimmed the text, written in his grandfather's scratchy harsh hand. Rose and Lysander who were sat with him and chattering to one another over their meals couldn't help but notice the way that his eyes grew stormier and stormier, before Scorpius finally snatched the parchment up altogether and marched out of the great hall, his robes swirling and leaving his breakfast abandoned.

Rose almost choked on her toast and Lysander exchanged a bewildered glance with her as he set down his cereal spoon; "what on earth do you think's wrong with him?"

"I don't know," Rose admitted cautiously as she finally swallowed her mouthful of food, "but I _do_ happen to know that eagle owl belongs to Lucius Malfoy."

Lysander looked worried; "maybe we should go and see what's wrong."

Rose quickly concurred, as the two of them made their way out of the great hall after their friend.

…

_I knew it, I bloody knew it… _Scorpius muttered furiously under his breath as he stormed up the stone staircase to Ravenclaw Tower, clutching the parchment between his fingers so tightly that he gave himself paper cuts. What had it been, not even six months? And already it was starting all over again.

Lucius was interfering with his life once more.

After tersely answering the riddle from the door knocker, Scorpius threw himself down on the comfortable couch in the thankfully empty common room and unwrinkled the parchment again, reading the words with a growing sense of disbelief. He couldn't believe Lucius, he really couldn't. This owl had both frightened and concerned him. What the hell was his grandfather playing at?

_Scorpius,_

_I feel it is time I once more broached the subject of your education with you. As you know I have let the subject lie dormant due to circumstances of recent months. I feel however it is my duty to oversee your future with your father otherwise occupied and I personally feel that turning your attentions towards further study, perhaps at a school with a more diverse curriculum would be of benefit to you._

_As you know, I have an associate more than willing to offer you a place at his school in Holland. I feel that this would be a prudent move for you. _

_Voldemort's ideas were halted but they __were__ correct in their principle. I feel that it will be of great use to you to study amongst like-minded, pure-blooded students. _

_LM._

Scorpius jerked up his head as Rose and Lysander entered the common room, their faces masks of concern. "Scorp… what's--" Rose began.

Wordlessly, Scorpius held the parchment out to her. Rose and Lysander bent their heads to look at it.

Lysander's eyebrows were up somewhere near his hairline by the time he'd finished. "I thought your grandfather had stopped talking about that school," he commented quietly.

Scorpius smiled dryly. "I knew it wouldn't last. He was biding his time, that's all."

Rose however was looking worried; "Scorp… he's talking about Voldemort."

"I know," Scorpius snapped moodily, "I _have_ read the bloody thing you know."

"Scorp, you need to tell your dad he's sent you this," Rose said simply, choosing to ignore his outburst, and Lysander nodded in complete agreement with her.

"This is the _last_ thing he needs right now," Scorpius sighed miserably; "and my granddad's been really good to him lately when he's been so lonely and all…"

"Maybe so," Rose admitted reluctantly, unwilling to give Lucius Malfoy credit for _anything_, particularly given how he'd spoken about _her_ and upset her friend so much in the past; "but he's bringing up all the school issues again and your dad's particularly vulnerable at the moment, Scorp. You need to let him know that he's at least raised the subject with you and that he still seems to have some kind of fixation on purebloods," Rose flinched uncomfortably; "you know how he and-- and your mum felt about the school and you staying on at Hogwarts. I really think your dad would want to know about this and the fact Lucius has mentioned that bloody school to you again in the first place. Your granddad Scorp, well… he _was_ a death eater after all."

Scorpius nodded distantly, raking a hand through his hair and realising that she was right. Of course she was, she was _Rose_. With another heavy sigh he approached the fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder, sprinkling it in the iron grate. Travelling by floo didn't work _into_ Hogwarts, but floo calling was still acceptable out of it, all the students knew. Particularly in times of importance such as this one. He knew that even on a Saturday, his dad would most likely be back in the office. He was turning into something of a workaholic, even by his own admission, presumably trying to fill a void since his wife's untimely death, which saddened Scorpius.

"Draco Malfoy's office!" Scorpius mumbled miserably, decisively sticking his face in the green flames and pensively waiting for a response.

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

"_Dad?"_

Draco lifted his head from his cluttered desk, startled as the plaintive voice filled the small room. He was more than alarmed to see his son's face glowing in the amber embers of the fireplace and immediately leapt to his feet, spilling ink all over his parchment and staining his robes, but not even caring. It was highly unlike his son to floo call him at _work_ after all, especially on a Saturday morning. Something was very wrong.

"Scorp?! Are you ok?" he demanded breathlessly, sinking down in front of the flames, his work long abandoned as he gazed frantically down at the small face. Nightmarish scenarios ran through his mind: his son had been hurt playing quidditch, there had been some sort of accident in Hogsmeade…

"I'm fine," Scorpius was quick to assure him; "dad, I wasn't going to tell you this but Rose said I should…. Look, I had an owl this morning… from Lucius."

Draco tilted his head, concerned at the icy timbre in his son's voice. He sounded… distressed. "What is it?" he enquired, feeling positively sure all of a sudden that he wasn't going to like this. It was indicated in every nuance of his son's awkward tone.

Scorpius sighed heavily, "dad, I know this is probably the last thing you need on your plate right now, but it's starting again."

"_What's_ starting again?" Draco asked, confused.

"He mentioned that school again," Scorpius admitted uncomfortably. "And made references to being a pureblood and um, he mentioned V-Voldemort."

Draco jerked his head up in disbelief, shock searing his mind. _"What?"_

"He mentioned that dark arts school in Holland again," Scorpius said quietly, "three or four references in his letter to me alone. Maybe I'm wrong in how I'm reading into it, but he said that with you um, otherwise 'occupied' he felt it was his business to--"

Draco felt white hot anger wash over him as his son tentatively reported the contents of the owl and for the first time in months, felt himself surface from the bleak fog he'd been swimming through. It was rather strange to feel an emotion other than sadness or despair for a change and he found he actually welcomed the anger in this instance. He was absolutely FURIOUS with his father for inciting conversations about 'purebloods' and dark arts schools with his son again, particularly given how many arguments the topic had evoked in the past and how he and Tori had both felt about the matter. Not to mention his talk of 'Voldemort.' What in Hades name was _that_ about? Had his father gone stark raving mad? "I'll speak to him, son," Draco said finally.

"You will?" even through the flames, Scorpius' face looked awfully worried; "I didn't mean to make you angry, dad or make you row with Lucius."

"I'm not angry with _you_, son," Draco said truthfully, "I'm glad you told me actually. I'll speak to your grandfather for you, don't worry."

Scorpius still looked doubtful; "but--"

"Don't worry," Draco even managed a smile though his insides were swirling with angry turmoil, "this _could_ be a big misunderstanding, but we need to put things straight with Lucius, alright? He has _no_ say in your future and there's no bloody way you're leaving Hogwarts."

Scorpius looked like he felt a bit better at last; "ok dad."

"Good," Draco managed to sound jovial, though it was an effort when his blood was boiling; "well, you have a good day today with your friend's son, alright? And don't concern yourself with anything concerning your grandfather. I'll sort this out. I promise."

Scorpius smiled, realising that he could detect some of his father's old fighting spirit once more, something he had dearly missed these past few months; "thanks dad."

"You're welcome Scorp."

Draco waited until his son's head had vanished from the flames before straightening up again from the grate, a look of utter fury in his eyes as he strode back to his desk. What in gods name was his father playing at, dredging all that transferring schools business up again with his son? He for one was going to find out exactly what Lucius was up to…

The mention of _Voldemort_ though, that worried him. A lot.

Draco sat still for exactly three seconds, rubbing his temples before he took a deep decisive breath. He sighed reluctantly, stood up and then disapparated.

…

Harry Potter HATED working Saturdays, especially when there was so many other nice things he could be doing: spending time with his wife for one and having long lazy lie-ins, but the Auror office had been short staffed lately due to so many sicknesses and bugs over the winter period, so here he was, slogging away at a mountain of teetering reports on his beyond messy desk.

He grimaced as he eyed the stack of folded parchments, which didn't seem to be remotely diminishing, even though he'd been in here since dawn already.

The loud cracking into his office startled him and the staticy friction unsettled the stack of folders, which wobbled precariously, before finally crashing to the floor and scattering everywhere. "Fuck," Harry muttered irritably, lifting his head and eyeing the mass of papers, crestfallen. Then he lifted his eyes to the unexpected visitor.

Draco Malfoy was stood there, looking slightly guilty as he eyed the fallen paperwork. "Oops."

Then he _smirked_, a smirk that made Harry roll his eyes. It had been a long time since he'd seen that smirk: year's infact, but it reminded him that Draco Malfoy could still have attitude when he wanted to, something he found he was actually glad about. The man had had a rough few months and even Harry knew he'd been burying himself in his work, paying little attention to anything else around him, whilst still the Prophet continued printing its slanderous stories about him. Harry would have sued that bloody Rita Skeeter, but he imagined Draco didn't want to draw yet further attention onto himself and Scorpius, hardly unexpected really. Harry actually respected him for that.

Things between the two men had been almost… civilised for the past few months, surprisingly. Though they'd never be _friends_ exactly, Harry found that if they ran into each other in the building, the nods between them were no longer tense but almost cordial. He occasionally enquired after Scorpius' welfare, pleased that the boy seemed to be doing better now, something he had heard from Rose and Albus too. A sort of mutual respect had built between the two of them, which was exactly why Harry didn't shout at him for causing the folders to crash to the floor.

Instead he asked levelly; "what do you want, Malfoy?"

"I wasn't sure you'd be in today," Draco smoothed down his robes as he flicked his wand and instantly restacked the papers back on the desk, presumably not in the correct order but the gesture surprised Harry nonetheless; "looks like I'm not the only workaholic around here."

"Flu bugs," Harry replied mildly, inclining his head in thanks, "believe me, if I could get out of it, I would. What's up?"

Draco's eyes were slightly distressed, Harry suddenly noticed and it was a couple of moments before he spoke; "my father, actually."

Harry sat back in his chair, perplexed; "what's he done now?"

Draco bit his lip, thinking back to his son's unhappy face before he tentatively spoke and his voice was low; "I think--I think he might still have inclinations towards the dark arts, Potter."

Harry's green eyes widened but he recovered fast; "after _everything_? Your dad spent time in Azkaban, Malfoy and after the war he—"

"Just hear me out," Draco interrupted, taking a seat opposite Harry without being asked and folding his arms imperiously.

Harry obligingly shut his mouth and patiently waited for Draco to continue.

"Scorpius he, well, he received an owl from Lucius this morning. Actually, no I suppose it goes back a bit further than that…" Draco now ran an aggrieved hand through his thinning hair wondering where to begin; "did Rose um, tell you about what happened at the quidditch match?"

"No," Harry was confused, wondering what any of this had to do with his niece.

"This was a while ago. I wasn't _at_ the game you understand and neither were the Weasels-- I mean the _Weasley's_, but Lucius turned up unexpectedly and in Roses' earshot made some kind of comment about how Hogwarts was a school for purebloods only…" Draco bit his lip, "exactly the way I used to with Granger," he admitted shamefaced, two pink spots of colour standing out on his cheeks. "Scorpius was simply furious at Lucius' ideology and the family were already rowing anyway…"

"What were you rowing with Lucius about?" Harry enquired curiously, wondering why Rose had never said anything about Malfoy senior's insults. He imagined the girl wouldn't want to upset Ron and Hermione, which it definitely _would_ and incite yet further rows between the families.

"Lucius wanted--_wants_-- Scorpius to attend a school in Holland for the dark arts," Draco said quietly, "he feels Hogwarts is 'ruining' him and that the curriculum isn't diverse enough or up to his supposed standards of education. He's been bringing the subject up on and off for a while now. He has some associate over there apparantly who would be delighted to have my son as a student."

Harry scratched his brow; "I see."

"Tori and I were furious at his line of thinking," Draco confessed, "it led to lots of rows. I wasn't happy Lucius was trying to interfere in my son's life and Scorpius is quite wilful anyway so _he_ wasn't happy at his grandfather's prying and what he feels quite rightly, is pureblood bigotry…" Draco sighed, "Scorpius quite plainly has a mind of his own and Lucius doesn't like that." Draco frowned now; "my son has more of a mind than _I_ ever did. Lucius wasn't happy we were all siding against him and didn't agree with his old ways. Quite frankly Potter, I lost any shreds of respect for Lucius a long time ago. He wasn't exactly father of the year."

"I can imagine," Harry murmured; "I know what your father is capable of, Malfoy."

"Of course you do," Draco replied quietly, thinking back to all Potter's turbulent and sometimes devastating encounters with Lucius over the years.

"You were talking about an owl that Scorpius received…" Harry prompted.

"Yes…" Draco came back to himself quickly, "this morning at school… Lucius owled him. Since Tori's—death, he hasn't made any mention of the dark arts at all and even said he'd never raise the issue again, but in his owl he implied that the school was _still_ interested in having Scorpius as a student and that it would be beneficial for my son to be educated in an environment that was pureblood only. I think he feels I've been otherwise 'precoccupied' as of late and sees it as **his** duty to oversee my son's schooling."

Harry let out a soft whistle at the audacity that Lucius Malfoy could still think along the lines that pureblood wizards were really better than any other, after _everything_ that had occurred in the past. "Merlin."

"Then he mentioned V--the dark lord," Draco said quickly, flinching at Harry's incredulous expression; "he—said something about how the ideology of V-Voldemort was correct in _principle_ and that in wizarding society, there will _always_ be the need for power."

Harry's face was etched with undeniable concern. "You think he means that?"

"I'm worried he's on the verge of losing it, Potter," Draco admitted; "he's always been an egomaniac and a snob when it comes to social hierarchy admittedly, but he's never mentioned V—voldemort directly to my son before. I know he was brainwashed back then… a lot of wizards were, but he now seems intent on trying to resurrect ideals of the past in some kind of futile quest for glory."

"You're worried he's still a death eater, aren't you?" Harry asked calmly, now realising what Draco was _really_ getting at.

"I think that may be his intention," Draco whispered reluctantly, "he—he has nothing else to cling to, even though most of his old cronies are still locked up in Azkaban for their crimes during the war, I'm wondering now if maybe he still corresponds with them. He and my mother… that's _barely_ a marriage… in the old days he got a lot of prestige and... respect I suppose for what he was. _Scared_ respect but respect nonetheless. I think he's trying to win back infamy in any way he can because he has nothing else anymore. The dark arts are all he really knows, Potter and there's no way in hell he's going to have any kind of hold like that over my _son_. Not--not the way he did with _me_," Draco concluded miserably. "I think he thinks it would be a real coup getting Scorpius to let in the dark side and embrace dark magic, not to mention it would spite _me_ for turning away from it also. I genuinely think he may still be in touch with some of his former death eater associates."

"From what you've said, there's no danger of Scorpius being lured over," Harry tried to reassure him; "but what you've said about your father _does_ concern me, Malfoy. Some dark wizards struggle to let go of the past and what they once had. We see it here all the time, people turning back to the darkness because it's all they know."

Draco felt some spark of hope that Potter followed his way of thinking. "I was going to confront him over the owl," he admitted frankly, "Scorpius was really upset this morning. Lucius hasn't mentioned any of this school stuff since-- Tori's death and now it's all starting up again, he's already been upset enough over his mother, I won't have him distressed at the very notion he will be leaving Hogwarts. I won't let that happen. That school is all that's keeping him functioning at the moment I feel."

"Some people may _appear_ to have changed on the surface," Harry said calmly after a moments thought, "but it's only for show when deep down they're still the same person they always were. There's this old muggle saying: "a leopard never changes its spots" and maybe in the case of Lucius, that's true."

What Potter was saying made a lot of sense to Draco, even though he didn't always understand the muggle way of thinking. "You're right, Potter," he said and he knew that quite suddenly, he had to see Lucius in person and find out what the hell was going on and if he really had returned to the old ways; "I bet he _hasn't_ changed one little bit, has he? I don't know why I didn't realise that sooner."

To Harry's complete and utter bewilderment, Draco suddenly disapparated again with a loud pop.

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

Draco was trying to fight back his furious emotions once more as he apparated directly outside the imposing wrought-iron gates of Malfoy Manor. The house was intricately warded so he was unable to apparate directly inside and he hadn't bothered flooing, knowing apparating would be a much quicker journey; Lucius of course had _extreme_ paranoia of people getting past the wards and attacking him in his sleep, unsurprising given his former death eater status. Draco quickly strode through the gates and knocked loudly on the oak front door, tapping his foot impatiently.

One of the Malfoy's army of house elves soon answered, bowing courteously, but Draco was in no mood for pleasantries. "Is my father here?" he demanded, almost rudely.

"Mr Draco, Mr Lucius and Miss Narcissa is at a meeting at Gringotts," the elf apologised profusely, as if somehow this was all _his_ fault, bowing humbly once more; "if Mr Draco would like to be waiting for Mr Lucius, he should be back very shortly and--"

"Thank you," Draco sighed as his shoulders relaxed, "I'll wait in his study."

The elf looked torn, "Mr Lucius is always saying that his study is private--"

"I am his _son_," Draco tried to muster up his familiar arrogance though he was surprised at the refusal, "_nothing_ about this manor is private to me."

The elf looked distraught; "but--"

"That will be all," Draco strode off imperiously towards the closed doors of Lucius study leaving the perplexed elf behind him in the foyer, wondering just _why_ the study was off-limits all of a sudden. Knowing his father it could be for any reason: shady business dealings, whores lying waiting for his father on the couch… dark arts practices being carried out on muggles…

Draco tried the door handle but indeed, the room was locked, just as he'd feared. His brow arched. "Alohamora…" he tried, flicking his wand at the lock.

_Nothing._

Draco tried several more unlocking spells before he finally stumbled across the right one. Somehow he wasn't surprised that it was a spell with dark magic origins and his brow furrowed with yet more concern.

He hesitantly walked inside the plush study, noting the décor was still a rather ominous combination of silver and green. The room looked just as it always had when Draco was growing up, not that he'd ever been permitted to spend a lot of time in here, or with his father generally. Two of the walls were lined with huge oak bookcases and Draco noticed much to his chagrin, filled with first bound editions of several dark arts texts. Lucius' desk was free from paperwork and all that stood on its shiny top was a silver ink blotter, a fountain pen and a remembrall which he could remember his father using as a paperweight when he was much younger, as Lucius rarely forgot anything. Not really knowing what he was actually looking for, Draco prowled the study, trying desk drawers (all of which were locked) but not finding _anything_ that connected his father to the dark arts or Voldemort other than the texts in the bookcase. Not entirely incriminating stuff, admittedly. He didn't know what he'd been hoping for either: some kind of address book with Lucius' death eater associates? The books too, could be found in any DADA classroom though they were usually kept under lock and key.

Speaking of lock and key…

Draco's sharp grey eyes were suddenly drawn to a small deep set oak cabinet in the corner of the room. The wood was etched with silver symbols that Draco did not recognise, and not for the first time he wished he'd paid more attention in his lessons at Hogwarts or had at least further studied ancient runes. The engraved symbols looked… out of place in the room and he wished he could understand them. Almost by his own volition, he approached the cabinet and tentatively tried the handle.

Locked. With a padlock he now noticed.

Why _wasn't_ he surprised?

Draco glanced hopefully around the study but there was no sign of any key lying around of course. He sighed impatiently and flicked his wand at the lock, not surprised when 'Alohamora' and a dozen other unlocking spells failed to work, including the one he had used for access to the study in the first place. "Merlin," he muttered irritably. His dad was as sneaky as a fox. Now more than ever, Draco was convinced that he _did_ infact have something to hide.

Thinking back through everything he had ever been taught both at school and by his father in their 'private' lessons, his mind finally brought forth another unlocking spell. He winced as he used it, for it had been a spell his father had used to lock the shackles of prisoners back in the days of the war.

Again, Draco wasn't surprised when the padlock successfully clinked apart and the cabinet door slowly swung open.

A pensieve sat inside_._

Draco's eyes widened as he gazed down at the shallow stone basin the cabinet held in complete amazement. His father had a _pensieve_. How had he never known that? He supposed it made sense logically for an older wizard to want to store their memories somewhere safe, but… Draco found he was surprised by the finding at the same time and took a couple of uncertain steps backwards. No doubt the memories held here wouldn't be pleasant.

Draco eyed the silvery swirling liquid with some trepidation from a distance, uncertain as to whether he really wanted to access his father's memories or not as it _was_ a complete violation of someone's mind, yet feeling that it was the only answer all of a sudden. He could finally find out why Lucius so desperately wanted to interfere in his son's life and if his father really _was_ associating with his former (mostly imprisoned) death eaters once more. Maybe this was just a big mistake…

Draco hoped it was. He really hoped it was.

He anxiously took a breath, his stomach lurching, as he opened both cabinet doors wide and leaned over the silvery mass and then stuck his face into the bowl…

The sensation was undeniably strange as he was pulled from his feet and forwards, almost as if he was being sucked down inside a giant cavernous pit. His stomach lurched as he fell and waves of nausea welled inside of him. Silver vapoured mist swirled around him, disorientating him and Draco felt lost for a split second before he finally landed with a thump.

When he opened his eyes, he thought for a split second he was dreaming. _This_ was his father's most recently stored memory?

_"Please do not bring my son into any more family arguments, Lucius. I can assure you that Scorpius is happy as he is. Please do not try and use him as some kind of… vendetta in your own ill-feelings towards Draco and his rebellion against you…"_

Draco's eyes widened at the sudden sight of his wife, looking so alive and beautiful, even as his brow furrowed in confusion as the silver wisps swirled around him. His heart beat faster. _Tori! What? When had **this** argument occurred..?_ Then he recognised the house as his own. His upstairs landing. His eyes narrowed in bewilderment.

"_My son __let me down__; it is no mere 'rebellion,' Astoria! Taking a job at the Ministry of all places and in that ridiculous department no less! __Improper use of magic!__ Turning his back on __me__ and what I taught him about what it really means to be from a distinguished family! A Malfoy is __always__ better than anyone else that is a given fact. It's humiliating that he doesn't accept that teaching any longer... __Then__ he raises his own son to be less than a pure blood. It's simply disgusting."_

Lucius' face was marred in an ugly scowl as suddenly the sickle dropped for Draco. **This** was the day his wife had died. His stomach lurched and he was unsure as to whether he wanted to continue watching these events, yet found he was unable to draw his eyes away.

"_He is not your puppet, Lucius and the reign of the death eaters and Lord Voldemort is long over…"_

"_The need for grace and power will always be prevalent. It is what society is founded upon…"_

"_Power in class is no longer needed in the wizarding world, not any more. What is it you really want?"_

"_I want my son and grandson to behave like Malfoy's! Like Purebloods!"_

Shocked beyond belief, Draco watched the bitter disagreement being played out before his eyes and he suddenly understood. Before he could jerk his face from the pensieve knowing with a sickening certainty what was coming next, Lucius shook his wife's arms, and before Draco's heartbroken eyes, his wife tumbled down the stairs.

Lucius watched her fall, his eyes cold and hard and did absolutely nothing to help her.

Astoria slumped sideways.

Dead…

Disbelieving and with vomit rising in his throat, Draco wrenched his now perspiring face from the pensieve, breathing hard and staggering backwards, clutching at the edge of the wooden desk to hold himself upright. He had just witnessed his wife's death.

_Oh god..._

"So now you know…" the dulcet tones from behind him were cold and harsh and when Draco slowly turned, Lucius was stood in the entrance to the study, eyeing his son, an unreadable expression on his face and still in his dress robes as he pulled off a thick green scarf. "I didn't expect you to find out."

Catlike, Lucius sauntered into the study, closing the door behind it and warding it shut with one careful flick of his wand.

Unbearable hatred rose in Draco, choking him. He was so stunned he could barely speak. "You--you--"

Lucius sneered and that sneer told Draco **everything** he wanted to know. "What _are_ you going to do, now you know the truth?" he reached for his wand but his son was faster. There were a number of spells he could have chosen, but he used the one that came instinctively to him.

"_Crucio!"_ Draco pointed his wand at his father, watching as a shocked Lucius instantly crumpled to his knees, shaking uncontrollably and screaming in sheer agony as he dropped his wand, which Draco accio'd over to him instantly. _"You bastard…."_

Draco had never been able to incite an unforgiveable before, admittedly he'd never been brave enough, but suddenly hurting his father and making him suffer for what he had just seen was all he could think of and he flooded with rage and anguish as the memories of that pensieve swirled back to him in droves. He watched, slow curling anger hot in his belly as his father writhed on the carpet, clutching and clawing at his pale skin, trying desperately to shake off the effects of the curse, his face pale and etched with bloody veins.

Draco didn't lower his wand, not once. He kept it pointing at his father unwaveringly as he watched him scream in pain, feeling the strength flow through his fingertips and down the core of his wand, sparks flying. The satisfaction that he was hurting Lucius and _enjoying it _both frightened and disgusted him, but not one thing in the world would make him stop. Not now. The memory of Astoria falling down the stairs, her arms desperately flailing as his father had stood by and watched, sickened him and he knew that until he made Lucius understand he had taken away one of the most precious things in the world to him, he would be nothing. Nothing could bring Tori back to him, but he _could_ avenge her death and avenge it he would.

"Please--" Lucius wheezed between volts of strong magic, agony written all over his face as he tore at his skin with bloodied fingernails; "Draco--"

"How _dare_ you plead for mercy!" Draco spat, venom in his voice; "you watched my wife die. You watched her fall and you did nothing! You could have saved her life!" his voice rose in a devastated shriek and he felt any last shreds of calm slipping away from him, slowly replaced by murderous, vengeful wrath as he brandished his wand once more. _"Crucio!" _

Again, with a look of bitter malice in his eyes, Draco held his wand steadfast as he watched his father scream in pain.

…

Harry heard the screams from the study from _outside_ the Manor where he had apparated to, after understanding Draco's line of thinking in his office. Worry consumed him and he only hoped the cries of anguish he could hear reverberating around the manor's grounds, were not those of his former school nemesis. He raced to the front door of the Manor, and not bothering to wait for someone to answer the door, used his wand to burst it open in a splintered shower of wood: patented Auror technique for accessing somewhere off-limits and one Harry used frequently for it overrode _any_ dark arts spell. A spell which Harry now suspected _would_ be warding this residence.

A house elf was in the hallway, wringing its tiny hands in distress and pacing as the house shook with bitter screams once more that literally chilled Harry to the bone. Enormous elf eyes widened as they rested on the famous Auror. "Mr Potter!" he gasped close to tears, "he is murdering him! He is in the study and I is unable to get to him for the door is locked tight!"

"Who?" Harry demanded his face paling.

"Mr Draco," the elf choked out anguished as he pointed to the door of the study, "he is simply _furious_ with Mr Lucius! I don't know what to do, Mr Potter! I don't know what is happening! Mrs Narcissa isn't here and--"

"Stand back," Harry cautioned, striding over to the door and bracing his wand. The house elf scuttled backwards in terror. Once more, the door burst open and Harry's own eyes widened at what he saw inside.

A cabinet door in the corner of the study was open, displaying the stone dish and the swirling silver contents of a pensieve. Draco had managed to access Lucius' memories. The cabinet was engraved with silver runes which Harry instantly recognised as symbols of dark magic. Concern gripped him: Draco had been right.

It was the sight of Draco Malfoy that truly startled him the most however for Draco now stood over the fallen body of his father who was splayed on the carpet and writhing in incomprehensible pain; Draco's grey eyes were dark with fury and his face a stormy mask of anger as he incited the crucio curse on the fallen man. Whatever he had seen in that pensieve had clearly driven him to this. His wand was braced and even before Harry's shocked eyes, Draco didn't even falter once as he again opened his mouth, a green jet of light emitting from his wand:

"_Avada Ked--"_

Harry made his decision quickly. Much as he'd have liked nothing _better_ then to see Lucius Malfoy made to pay for his callous actions both in recent times and in the past, he knew the time would eventually come when Draco would deeply regret using the killing curse and on his own flesh and blood nonetheless. He flicked his own wand and with a quick; "Expeliarmus!" effortlessly whipped both wands from Draco's trembling grasp.

As Draco turned around, looking aghast and Lucius turned stunned eyes on his unlikely saviour, Harry immediately cast the senior Malfoy in a full body bind. "Petrificus Totalis!"

"What the _fuck_, Potter--" annoyance was coming off Draco in waves as he lunged forwards, trying to get his wand back, disbelief etched all over his face. "You don't know-- what I've just seen--"

"You'll regret it," Harry said quietly, pocketing both Malfoy's wands now and looking subdued; "believe me, I know what it's like to cast that spell, no matter if they deserve it or not."

Draco slumped weakly to the floor for the magic had drained him somewhat, bitter despair filling his eyes as he wiped at slowly falling tears; "he watched my wife die, Potter and he could have saved her life. I saw _everything_ in his pensieve. I want him punished. I want him made to pay for what he's done." There was none of the usual haughty tones in his voice, only sheer agony and pain.

"He _will_ be made to pay," Harry assured him simply as his own eyes darted towards the stone dish wondering what _other_ memories the pensieve held, and even through his furious anger, Draco could see that Potter meant every single word of it, "but not by _you_, Malfoy. You've suffered enough these past months. Let the Ministry punish him. If you kill him now, they'll have _you_ strung up in Azkaban and then where will you be? What will become of Scorpius?"

"I--" fresh tears streamed down Draco's cheeks as he covered his face, "I honestly thought he'd changed. I actually trusted him, even after everything he's ever done in the past. I never thought he could do _this_. How could anybody just stand by and watch somebody fall like that without even moving to help them?"

Harry's expression was commiserating and stunned as he helped Draco to his feet, casting a look of disgust at the unmoving Lucius, on the carpet, face frozen in shock, streaked with bloody scratches. "You need to see your son, Draco. Let _me _worry about Lucius. It is my job to capture dark wizards after all." He winced as Draco blanched.

Fresh agony welled in Draco at the dawning realisation he'd have to let his son know the horrific truth about his grandfather- that he was still as cold and calculating as he'd ever been; "oh gods, _Scorpius_- he's been suspicious all along… why in Hades name didn't I see this sooner?"

"Kids are often more perceptive than we give them credit for," Harry admitted, and in Scorpius' case he didn't doubt it, the kid was sharp and intuitive. He met steely grey eyes hesitantly, "can I trust you with your wand again now?"

Draco flicked a look to his stunned, motionless father and then with a miserable nod, held out his hand. Potter was right: it wouldn't do him any good to kill his father, not when the Ministry needed to know the truth about his wife's death; he would be exonerated now and the real culprit brought to justice. "You can trust me," he said sombrely and Harry actually believed him; "will--will you make sure they arrest him?"

"I promise," Harry said gravely, darting an eye to the silvery liquid form in the pensieve again; "and the pensieve will make sure of it. There's probably a myriad of incriminating memories in there. We can finally try Lucius for everything he's ever done." He handed Draco his wand back to him and Draco met his eyes levelly.

"Thank you, Potter."

Harry nodded; "go to Scorpius," was all he said instead; "McGonagall has a rather um... _unorthodox_ floo set up directly into her office from mine." At Draco's surprised look, Harry's green eyes suddenly twinkled, rather reminiscent of a former Hogwarts headmaster, actually, "I like to know what my sons are up to from time to time," he divulged confidentially; "if they're anything like _me_, they'll be getting into no end of mischief. Especially Albus."

Draco managed a rather weak smile in return as he slowly pocketed his wand and then darted another disgusted look at his father's immobile form; "make sure he get's what's coming to him," he said harshly, before he quickly apparated away to Harry's office with a loud crack, his fingers still itching to throw more hexes and curses. It was with remarkable restraint that he managed not to use them.

Harry waited until Draco had left the room before finally advancing on Lucius, menace gleaming in his eyes and his wand at the ready, noting the fear in the older man's icy grey eyes as a satisfied smile spread over his own face now, knowing that he finally had Lucius Malfoy right where he wanted him and after so long; "I will," he said softly as he raised his own wand, "believe me _I will_."

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **Argh, for those who are getting impatient (and I'm definitely one of 'em!) about the Rose/Scorp _relationship_ aspect to this story, let me just say that things sloooowly start changing in the next few chapters... They are still only fourteen at the moment after all, lol and there's a little while to go with them yet. Also, I like the suspense and the build up with the other characters too… oh the angst! I'm having fun with this, hehe.

_Next chapter:_ Scorpius finally learns the truth.


	17. What really happened

**What really happened**

**Disclaimers: **See Ch1.

* * *

Draco didn't spend any time viewing the sumptuous décor in Harry's spacious office as he apparated back there from Malfoy Manor, though he _did _notice it was cluttered with photographs of the Weaslette and their equally messy-haired off-spring; his thoughts were simply in too much of a panic and he was consumed with worry as to how he was going to break the truth about Lucius to his son. He grabbed a handful of floo powder from the jar by Harry's mantelpiece and sprinkled it in the flames. Though he now knew the floo's were directly connected from here to Hogwarts, he didn't want to give McGonagall a heart attack by just showing up there in her office all of a sudden. Plus, there was always the chance she would hex him on sight. He wouldn't be surprised.

"Professor McGonagall's office," he said softly, placing his face in the green flames and waiting impatiently.

Dumbledore's former office hadn't changed too much, he realised, dimly gazing at it through the jumping red sparks. Same battered wooden desk… same portraits of dozing former headmasters on the wall… He imagined McGonagall had kept it like this as a tribute to the schools greatest headmaster though there _were_ some slightly more feminine touches now, including cheerful flowers in a vase on the desk.

McGonagall was seated writing a letter and jumped when she spotted his anxious face bobbing in the flames. "Goodness gracious!" she gasped, placing a hand to her chest and dropping her quill in complete disbelief, "Mr Malfoy… what are _you_ doing here? Where is Mr Potter?"

Draco blanched at the visible suspicion underlying her sharp tones and forced himself to remain civil. It wasn't _her _fault he'd been a little bastard at school after all, he didn't blame her for being sceptical of his sudden presence in her grate.

"Potter is arresting my father at this present moment in time," he reported quietly, noticing the way her grey eyebrows raised in sheer amazement, "I wonder if I may floo through, Headmistress? Potter told me of the network you have connected and I wish to speak urgently with my son."

Shrewd eyes analysed his face and then the older woman nodded as if finally deducing he was trustworthy after all; "you may, Mr Malfoy."

Breathing out, relieved, Draco commenced the quick journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as McGonagall sat back at her desk in astonishment, wondering what on earth had happened.

She didn't have to wait too long to find out. Draco stepped from the fireplace brushing his dusty robes and managing a weak polite smile for her, more courteous now than he'd ever been when he was a student here. "Headmistress. Thank you for letting me come through."

"That's quite alright, Mr Malfoy. I sensed this was a matter of some urgency. Would you care to tell me what has happened?"

Draco nodded sombrely realising that he did need to talk with somebody before he spoke with Scorpius, "you'll hear it in the Prophet sooner or later I imagine," he deduced tiredly.

McGonagall gestured to the armchair opposite her desk as he took a tentative seat. "Tea, Mr Malfoy?" she offered him politely, then tilted her head, setting her spectacles on her nose; "or a brandy perhaps? I hear it is rather good for shock."

Draco shook his head, inwardly amused his former stern teacher was offering him alcohol on school premises. Maybe she wasn't quite as much of a dragon as he'd always imagined. "No, but thank you…"

McGonagall listened patiently as he slowly recapped events that had taken place since that morning, culminating in his visit to his father's study. He didn't mention his planned use of the Avada Kedavra, nor did she ask as to how he had subdued his father, for which he was grateful. Her wrinkled face was lined with concern and her eyes measured as she studied his face and despite himself, Draco was touched by her kindness. He felt himself growing tearful as he mentioned the memories he had seen in the pensieve and Potter's willingness to help him and was startled by what McGonagall ventured next.

"I often thought, Mr Malfoy," said Professor McGonagall in her usual brusque manner, her Scottish burr somewhat clipped, "that had you been friends with Mr Potter and his associates at _Hogwarts_, then your life would have been quite different." Her kind eyes took away the gravity of her words and to his surprise, Draco found himself nodding in reluctant agreement as he blew his red nose.

"I _wanted_ to be friends with him, Potter I mean," he admitted quietly now, "purely because of who he was at first, when I actually found out _who_ he really was," his eyes were distant as he reflected back on the events of so long ago and their first encounter in Madam Malkin's shop, "he was a celebrity in the wizarding world and at the time I thought it would be 'cool' to be friends with him. Even my dad encouraged me to talk to him. I was furious when he chose Weasley and Granger over me instead. Selfish I know. "

"Maybe a little bit," McGonagall admitted ruefully, trying not to show any indications of favouritism for her former Gryffindor students.

"He knew better than to be friends with someone like _me_," Draco said as he let out a sigh, rubbing his aching temples; he felt like he'd aged years in a matter of hours, "you know, that's the reason I've always let Scorpius choose his own friends and make his own decisions. The thought of him growing up like I did… especially now…" Draco felt his eyes turn damp at the memories of what he'd seen in that pensieve assailed him again; "how could Lucius _do _this? He—he could have saved her but he just let her die. He watched her fall and he didn't even try to help her!"

McGonagall placed a gentle hand on the younger man's shoulder, her eyes calm. "Some people can be horribly cruel, Mr Malfoy," she said soberly, in a caring voice she'd never used on him back when he'd been a student, "and some crueller than others. Your father wanted to hurt you, take away something that you cared about because you rebelled against him and he knew that his actions would tear you apart, perhaps make you more willing to lean on him, to trust him...."

"How in Merlin's name am I going to tell Scorpius?" Draco asked her achingly, "ever since his mother's death—" he gritted his teeth painfully now; "—I've let Lucius back in our lives- his plan had actually started working. I _knew _Scorp didn't want him around, I could see it in his face--- How can I _ever_ make this up to him?"

"You didn't know," the sudden green flash in the fireplace signalled that Harry was back in the room now, and flushing with embarrassment, Draco wiped at his eyes, brushing away the evident sparkle of his tears, "you didn't know what he'd done. It's not your fault."

Somehow, the fact that Potter was trying to make him feel better even as he'd almost witnessed him murder his father made Draco feel even _more_ like crying as he watched him greet McGonagall with a genial smile. The familiarity and fondness between them was evident.

"What's happening? What's happened to my—to Lucius?" He could no longer think of him as his _father_, not now. He was just a monster. An evil monster that'd ruined his and his son's life, purely out of spite and jealousy.

"Ministry Officials have taken Lucius into custody," Harry informed Draco and McGonagall quietly as he sat down in one of the other leather armchairs brushing at his dusty robes, "with his confession and the pensieve memories, there isn't much else to say, the proof of his involvement in your wife's death is irrefutable. Your father will be sent to Azkaban until his trial for involuntary manslaughter and I'm expecting he'll be imprisoned for a considerable duration, particularly given events of the past. The Wizengamot will look back at his past crimes in the pensieve and try to extend the length of his sentence because he got off fairly lightly back then due to 'lack of evidence.'" Harry's voice contained irony as he continued; "no bail will be granted given the past circumstances and I believe your mother will now go into hiding. She knew _nothing_ about this, of that I am certain."

Draco nodded woodenly, not caring anymore. "Did you... hurt him?" he asked softly. He hoped he had.

Harry cracked his knuckles and tried to look nonchalant; "a bit. No more than he deserved." He didn't divulge any further but Draco took that to mean that Potter had indeed hit his father with a few more hexes. He couldn't blame him.

"I'm sorry Malfoy," Potter surprised him by saying next, "about what he's done to you both I mean. I'm sorry he almost got away with it."

"Me too," Draco murmured. He lifted his head and met McGonagall's sympathetic eyes; "I need to see my son."

"He's probably on the quidditch pitch," McGonagall replied earnestly, intrigued at the fact that Potter was aiding the former Slytherin- they'd thoroughly _despised_ each other at school, so she was impressed that they were evidently putting their grudges behind them now, to assist the child, "he and Miss Weasley practice out there all the hours god sends. Do you want me to have someone fetch him for you?"

"No…" Draco practically whispered, "if it's alright I think I'd like to… go and see him myself."

"Of course, Mr Malfoy. Whatever you think is best." McGonagall smiled kindly at him as with another wooden nod, Draco left the headmistresses office, walking at a funereal pace.

McGonagall and Harry watched him go and exchanged grave glances; "I should have known," Harry sighed ruefully, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "we know what Lucius Malfoy is capable of. His reputation. I've seen it first hand. I imagined after the war that he'd changed, but deep down he's still as cold and calculating as he always was."

McGonagall wrung her wrinkled hands, thinking of how distressed Scorpius would be to be told the truth, deep sympathy welling up in her for the shattered family; "undoubtedly, Mr Potter, but even you and I never _dreamed_ he could stand by and watch his own daughter-in-law plummet to her death."

…

Draco slowly made his way to the quidditch pitch, the route down the winding grassy bank as familiar as what it had been during his own time at Hogwarts. He could hear his son long before he got to the stands, and see him soaring on his broom high in the sky, silhouetted against the bright sunshine. He was accompanied by another figure, one who sped around him teasingly, laughing and joking as Scorpius rolled his eyes and folded his arms sulkingly, before bursting into peals of his own merry laughter. Rose. Rose was making his son smile in a way he'd not seen since before Astoria died and Draco realised he was so very glad to see it.

Draco just watched the pair of them for a moment, almost startled by their easy camaraderie as they laughed and called to one another from their brooms as they soared through the air; this was the first time he'd genuinely seen his son happy since his mothers death and it truly broke his heart to know he was going to have to be the one to impart the news about Lucius to him. The whole situation was really just too horrific for words.

He hadn't seen Rose in a while either, since that awkward occasion with the Weasley clan at the station, and the girl had grown another few inches it seemed, only just dwarfed by his son actually. She was slim and elegant, despite her braces and awkward splattering of freckles, and even from down here he could tell she was an equal mixture of both her mother and her father, with her father's height and hair colour, yet the patented Hermione Granger frizzy curls and snub nose.

"You cheated!" he heard Scorpius call to her indignantly, his voice echoing around the silent stands, his platinum hair shining in the afternoon sunlight, "bloody hell Rose, that was a blatant—"

"You _taught_ me it!" Rose protested, giggling as she screeched her broom to a halt and stuck her tongue out at him, "so you can't be annoyed if someone fouls you and---" she caught sight of Draco then and her eyes instantly widened, her smile fading as she slowed her broom down; "Mr Malfoy…"

Scorpius whipped around, panicking and almost losing his balance, but when he saw his father there he relaxed somewhat. To Draco _that_ said everything, he'd thought Lucius was there behind him instead; "dad!" he said looking surprised, "what are you doing here?" he zipped his broom down to him and jumped off. "Were you in Hogsmeade Christmas shopping or something? I didn't think I'd see you this early again before the hols! Guess what? Rose just—"

Draco swallowed hard as he hugged his son to him tightly, cutting him off; "I need to talk to you, Scorp. It's important."

Rose caught Draco's eye and she instantly realised something was very wrong from the sombre tones in his voice, as Scorpius' eyes narrowed imperceptively at his father's protective hold, realising it too, and that his sudden appearance here probably had something to do with the owl he'd received that morning from his grandfather. "I'll see you at dinner, Scorp," she told him softly as she set herself down on the pitch, excusing herself, "I can take your broom up to school for you if you want."

Scorpius nodded, distracted as he handed it to her, his attention firmly fixed on his father now, knowing this was definitely something to do with their floo conversation that morning which he'd managed to somehow push to the back of his mind for most of the day. Draco managed a smile for the girl; "thank you Rose," he said politely.

Rose left, darting one backwards glance at the pair of them, concern shadowed in her blue eyes. Not for the first time, Draco was grateful for the girl's obvious care towards his son. He knew Scorpius would need all the friendship he could get in the upcoming months.

"What is it?" Scorpius asked immediately, once Rose was away from the stands. "What happened? I _knew_ I'd make you panic after this morning, I shouldn't have said anything about Lucius, I'm _fine_ dad, really…"

Draco directed his son towards one of the wooden seats, cutting into his self-chastisement, and Scorpius sat down beside him pensively, eyeing his father with worry as another thought struck him. "_You're_ ok, aren't you, dad? There's nothing wrong- I mean, you aren't ill or anything, are you?"

"It's not me," Draco assured his son instantly, and Scorpius let out a deep sigh of relief. "Scorp, I have something to tell you and I need you to be brave and just hear me out, ok? This needs to come from me. You're going to be angry and hurt and---"

Scorpius' brow furrowed pensively; "dad…?"

"We found out what happened to your mother," Draco told him, taking a deep breath.

Scorpius was stunned for a moment, too stunned to venture anything except a weak: "pardon?"

"We found out what happened to her, the day she died," Draco said softly, knowing how much this was going to hurt him. At Scorpius' confusion he added: "Harry Potter and I."

Scorpius looked perplexed at the mention of Potter and Draco noticed his knuckles were white as he clasped his knees suddenly; "what happened?"

"Scorp…" Draco bit his lip, uncertain of how to continue. There was of course, no way to break this delicately. Even he knew that. "She---she didn't just fall accidentally Scorp."

"Tell me!" Scorpius demanded sharply, his eyes flashing, "tell me what happened!"

Draco closed his eyes, the memories from Lucius' pensieve swirling through his mind once more as he fought to stop their violent onslaught; "your grandfather---he argued with your mum. He shook her… she lost her balance…"

Scorpius' eyes widened, his face grew pale. For a moment he seemed too shell-shocked to speak and then; "LUCIUS? It was LUCIUS?" he demanded, jumping to his feet; "you mean, this whole time…?" he clenched his fists, hot fury and bitter hatred burning in his eyes as he recalled the way he'd wormed his way back into his father's good graces after the funeral and the owl that very morning. The owl that had allied his suspicions…

He should have known.

Draco stood up shakily, understanding his son's way of thinking; "Scorp---"

"How do you _know_?" Scorpius whispered, gritting his teeth so hard his jaw ached, "how did you find out?"

"I saw--- in his pensieve… I went to see him after you floo called me this morning…" Draco dropped his head, unwilling to let his son see the barely concealed pain and shame in his face, but Scorpius knew anyway.

"You _saw _mum die…?" he choked out incredulously, his hands falling limply by his sides; "oh dad…" The next second, Scorpius was hugging him tightly. He couldn't have imagined what that must have been like for him to witness his own wife's death. No wonder his father was looking so completely destroyed and wretched.

"He could have saved her," Draco told his son bleakly, "he could have saved her but he didn't. He watched her fall down the stairs and break her neck." He fought back his own anguish not telling him what the argument had been over for fear his son would blame himself; "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Scorpius lifted his head numbly, completely astounded even through the fogginess of his brain; "why are _you_ sorry? This isn't your fault. Lucius should be made to pay for this."

"And he will," Draco confirmed grimly, "son, I'm more than sorry for letting them back in our lives. If I'd have known---"

"I know," Scorpius whispered, defeated, simply unable to believe this shocking turn of events as he patted his father's arm, "I know dad, and its ok. We're going to be ok."

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

When Rose headed back inside the school building, brooms in hand, to her surprise, the first person she saw loitering in the foyer and examining the trophy cabinet was her Uncle Harry.

"Rosie!" he caught her up in a tight hug, relieved to see her.

"Hi," she said with a beam, glad to see him too but instantly realising that he was at Hogwarts for the same reason Mr Malfoy was. He recognised the analytical look in her eye and sighed. She could look as suspicious as her mother when she wanted to, could Rosie.

"Is Scorpius going to be ok?" she asked him immediately, as he led her to a quiet alcove with a window that overlooked the bustling courtyard; "I can tell something big's happened with Mr Malfoy here. What's going on?"

"That's an understatement," Harry confirmed with another sigh; "Draco accessed his father's pensieve and found out what really happened the night of Astoria's death."

Rose's blue eyes grew wider and wider as her uncle recounted the events of that sunny afternoon back in July, simultaneously growing more and more furious with Lucius Malfoy as she finally learned the truth. "That bastard!" she eventually spluttered.

"Rose!" Harry chided, shocked at her language, yet not surprised. She _was _Ron Weasley's daughter after all.

"Well he _is_," Rose retorted hotly as she clenched her fists, "he all but murdered her, didn't he? What's going to happen to him?" A wave of sadness for Scorpius washed over her, she couldn't imagine how he must be feeling right now.

"He'll face trial for involuntary manslaughter at some point next year but will be detained until then," Harry told his niece gravely, "amongst other charges; there's a hell of a lot of incriminating memories in that pensieve. Rose, I'm telling you this because Scorpius is going to need your support now more than ever. There's going to be gossip and rumours flying around all over the place and he'll need his friends to rally around him."

Rose nodded mutely, her eyes bright with tears. "He's been doing so much better lately," she reported with a soft sigh, "he's been loads quieter but he's back into his school work and quidditch… and he was looking forward to seeing his dad at Christmas. He knew it would be difficult without his mum around this year, but----"

"I know," Harry said quietly. "I think Draco is thinking of just taking him back to Devon today. He'll miss the last couple of weeks of term, but it might be better for him to go home early in the long run. It's a lot for anybody to process at once and I think both of them need time to heal. The wounds have all reopened." Dimly he wondered when Malfoy had become 'Draco' and realised that in recent hours, a lot of things had inexplicably shifted.

Rose nodded in agreement, her young face lined with concern. "And Mr Malfoy really saw everything in the pensieve?"

Gravely, Harry nodded his confirmation.

Rose looked stricken, "I can't imagine what it must be like to see someone you love die."

Harry swallowed, blinking back the unbidden memories of screams of his dying mother that had haunted him for so many years, nightmarish visions of the Battle of Hogwarts that still taunted him to this very day… "he'll need you," was all he said instead, patting her shoulder.

Rose looked up at her uncle tentatively. "I'm always here for Scorpius."

"I know," Harry smiled softly, his lips quirking; "you know, the way you two are always there for each other, it reminds me a bit of how your mum and dad used to be at school. They could fight like cat and dog when the mood arose, but when it came down to it they cared about each other more than anything."

To his surprise, Rose flushed a deep red; "really?" she asked, her voice small and uncertain.

"Yes," Harry said with a little grin as they walked down the corridor a sudden realisation dawning on him, "really."

…

When Rose had changed out of her quidditch kit, she went to find her friend. He wasn't in the quidditch stands anymore, though she did come across a silent Draco Malfoy in the wooden benches, who looked completely distraught as he stared into space.

"Mr Malfoy…?" she said softly.

He jumped, startled as he met her eyes. His face was pale and alarmed.

Rose smiled apologetically as she tucked a frizzy red curl behind her ears; "sorry…" she ventured timidly.

He waved his hand dismissively and tried to muster up his usual air of dignity; "that's quite alright, Rose. If you're looking for my son, he said he was going to take a walk by the Black Lake. I believe he wanted some time alone to think, but I know he won't object to your company."

With a shy smile, Rose nodded and then spoke uncertainly once more, hesitant to rock the boat but wanting to display her sympathies in this situation; "I'm so terribly sorry about what happened, Mr Malfoy."

Draco nodded weakly; "me too, Rose. Me too."

Rose left the brooding man in the stands and quickly headed to the lake, her speed belying the severity of the situation. She was almost out of breath by the time she got there and wished she could apparate to save time.

She watched the scene from a tentative distance, seeing Scorp's hunched up form as he sat on the damp grass at the edge of the water, the sky overhead thick and greying with the snow that was yet to fall this winter. She realised she had never seen Scorpius look so small or so alone and the realisation of what he was going through and what he'd no doubt endure in the upcoming months, hurt her immensely.

"Scorp…?" Rose finally took a small step forwards, unsure as to whether he wanted her company or not. She waited hesitantly as he took a gruff swipe at his eyes and then cleared his throat.

"I'm ok," he mumbled.

"No you aren't…" she sat down beside him on the springy grass and stared out at the lake silently. In the distance, the giant squid surfaced, bubbles bobbing on the surface, one lazy tentacle waving idly, before it dove back down into the murky water.

He met her eyes with a watery smile, "yeah, I'm not. You're right."

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked him softly, already realising what his answer would be.

He shook his head slowly, his expression thoughtful, "no… it's just tough, that's all. Knowing that Lucius could have helped her, but instead he just watched her fall…" his eyes grew misty again; "how can anyone do that? It's sick. I always knew he was a bastard Rose, but I _never _thought---"

Rose didn't say anything, just slipped her hand into his as he continued talking, reflecting on how his father must also be feeling right now, having witnessed his Lucius' cruel memories like that. His heart was undeniably aching and so was hers.

His fingers tightened around hers, deriving warmth, comfort and strength, and as always, Scorpius was just so relieved she was here beside him. He'd already lost so much; he just couldn't imagine what his life would be like without Rose in it.

"I'm going home with my dad tonight," he told her quietly, "he thinks it will be better, even if I _do_ miss the last couple of weeks of term, I can catch up the work later. And I want to be there, for him, you know?" His lips twisted into an ironic smile; "believe it or not we were supposed to be going to Malfoy Manor for Christmas to try and get back some kind of 'semblance of normality'… I don't know what on earth's going to happen now."

Rose nodded understandingly as his fingers unconsciously traced the freckles on the back of her hand; "I thought you might go back to Devon."

"I thought things were getting easier these past few weeks," Scorpius whispered, a bittersweet smile curling his lips as he watched the path of his fingers on Roses' smooth skin, "I still miss mum more than anything, but the nightmares about seeing her at the bottom of the stairs had _finally_ stopped happening every night and I was beginning to process everything in my mind. That's the last part of the grieving process apparently; acceptance. I mean, not that I _could_ accept it, not yet, but I was at least trying."

"I know, Scorp," sympathy welled in her once more.

"Will you tell everyone for me?" he lifted his head and she saw his eyes were pooling with tears, "Lysander and the others I mean, let them know what happened… I don't think I can face it."

"Of course," Rose said softly; "you don't have to ask."

"Thank you Rose…"

And when Rose went to bed that evening and closed her drapes tightly finally letting her own tears fall, his grateful words were a reverberating echo in her head and his heartbroken face was the only thing that she saw.

"_Thank you Rose…"_

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP **

_Next chapter: _Scorpius takes some time out at The Burrow.


	18. Summer at Godric's Hollow and The Burrow

**Summer at Godric's Hollow and The Burrow**

**Disclaimers: **See ch1

* * *

**July ****29th 2021**

To say that Scorpius wasn't looking forward to this summer was an understatement. It was the end of his fourth year at Hogwarts and basically, his life was a mess. A shambles. If he _wasn't _fretting over what his father had told him about Lucius and the upcoming trial, scheduled for next year, he was dwelling on yet _another_ sordid story written about the Malfoy family in the Daily Prophet. Mud had been raked and slung about the family for months on end now and it just seemed to be getting worse, though thankfully the slanderous stories about his _father_ had now stopped at least. Rita Skeeter had even (grudgingly) printed a terse apology to Draco on page 4 of the Prophet. It was tiny and barely even a paragraph long, but Scorpius felt relieved that his fathers name was no longer being tarnished and that people knew the truth _at last_.

It was a very small bright spot in an otherwise gloomy horizon and Scorpius felt like he'd been sleepwalking through life for months as it was.

As the one year anniversary of his mothers death grew ever closer, Scorpius just wished he could curl up somewhere and make himself as small and as insignificant as possible.

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

"What are you and Scorpius doing this summer?" Harry ventured cautiously to Draco over a chipped mug of milky tea in the Ministry's bustling canteen. He'd run into the man at lunchtime in the Ministry corridor and had been perturbed by the slump of his shoulders and the distressed look in his grey eyes. Draco looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, which was hardly surprising given what had gone on in recent months. Harry hadn't hesitated in asking him to join him for a spot of lunch.

Draco lifted one brow as he shrugged at his former adversary; "to tell you the truth we haven't discussed the summer," he admitted quietly as he eyed his untouched ham sandwich with visible distaste. "He's back home in two days and I just don't know what to do. I thought of owling him to ask but... Tori's… the anniversary coming up-- it's just difficult."

Harry nodded quietly. He knew undoubtedly that as the trial of Malfoy senior finally commenced early next year, things would only get more difficult for the Malfoy's and they'd be thrust into the spotlight to an even greater extent than they already had been. He'd been privy to Lucius' darkest memories in that pensieve and was a key Auror in the investigation, though of course he couldn't divulge any further evidence to Draco. Nor had Draco asked him anything, which was surprising. Lucius would be lucky to ever see the light of day again, Harry realised, though he kept his thoughts to himself of course. Part of him was satisfied that Lucius would finally be punished for what he and his death eater cronies had done in the past, but admittedly the bigger part of Harry felt sorry for Scorpius. Draco too of course he realised now.

"You and Scorpius could go away for a while," Harry suggested mildly, prodding at his unappetising plate of lasagne. It wasn't a patch on Ginny's or even Molly's cooking.

"Going away was the plan _last_ summer," Draco admitted grimly, lifting his head and finally pushing his sandwich to one side altogether. "You ever think what it would be like if you could go back and change one action, Potter?"

"All the time," Harry admitted with a wry smile; "hindsight is wonderful, isn't it? Things I've done or _haven't_ done stick in my head and I think 'what if.' What if I'd just done _one_ thing differently? How would things have changed?"

Draco hung his head as he confessed the thoughts that had been reverberating in his mind for months; "I just think, what if I'd _made_ Tori come to the station with me to pick up Scorpius that day last summer? She'd never have argued with—Lucius and never h...have died."

Harry's green eyes softened immeasurably as he finally understood the full reasoning of Draco's pain and the guilt that had presumably been swamping him for months; "you can't blame yourself, Malfoy."

"But I do."

Harry thought of the death of Cedric Diggory, the multiple casualties at the Battle of Hogwarts and a million other incidences where he could have done one thing differently as well and sighed despondently as he pushed away his plate too, his appetite now long gone; "I know just how you feel."

**HPHPHPHPHP**

"Scorp are you packed yet?" Lysander stuck his head around the boys dormitory room door; "we need to leave for the station in half an hour and--" His eyes softened at the sight of Scorpius stood by the huge arched window, overlooking the grounds, his shoulders slumped and his grey eyes distant as he gazed out somewhere over the forbidden forest. He looked so sad it was positively heartbreaking.

"All done," Scorpius mumbled almost inaudibly, not turning around, his eyes still fixed in the distance.

Lysander could have kicked himself. He should have realised how hard today would be for his friend and yet he'd just tried to act as normally as possible with him, even at breakfast where Scorpius hadn't touched a single morsel of food. Maybe Scorpius _did_ want to talk about it after all, Lysander thought tentatively. He eyed him hesitantly wondering whether to broach the subject of his mum at last, though Rose was much better at this sort of thing than he was; "Scorp---"

"Let's go," Scorpius said softly, flicking his wand and effortlessly levitating his trunk down the stone staircase ahead of them. He took one last look at his bed and inside his cupboard to make sure he had everything, before following Lysander silently down the stairs.

Rose was waiting in the nearly empty common room with her own trunk and Crookshanks II, who was leaping stealthily from squashy armchair to the couch and back again and purring, refusing to get in his cage. Clearly the half kneazle was excited to be leaving Hogwarts for a while even if he _would_ be going back to Cornwall to incur the wrath of Mr Weasley. Scorpius wished he felt the same way about going back to Devon but all he could focus on was that it was exactly one year today since his mother's death and he really didn't want to go home and face all that. He wanted to escape from the memories. He'd give anything to go somewhere else, even if it was just for a little while.

"All ready?" Rose asked him. Her eyes were gentle; they had been for the past few weeks, months even as if imploring him to talk if he felt like he needed to. Scorpius agreed that he probably _needed_ to, he just didn't want to yet. Though admittedly, if he was going to talk to anyone about how he was feeling about his mum or about Lucius' trial, it _would_ be Rose. She was a really good listener.

"Ready," he agreed mildly, trying to put aside his other emotions and even forcing a smile; "come on, let's go."

…

The train journey back to London was somewhat strained to say the least. Scorpius was highly conscious of the fact that other than Rose, his other friends were back to treating him like he was made of glass again, and consequently the conversations were stilted and terse and the atmosphere in the carriage awkward. Lorcan didn't play any jokes and even Albus retained an unusual degree of tact for a change. It was almost as if his mother's death hung like a gloomy shadow in the corner of the train. A huge pink elephant that everybody could see but nobody was talking about. It was actually rather a relief when the Express finally pulled into Kings Cross.

Lysander, Lorcan and the others said quick goodbyes as they vanished, almost as if they were relieved to leave the sombreness behind and truthfully, Scorp couldn't quite blame them. He hadn't meant to isolate his friends in the past few months but nor did he want to burden them with his true feelings and emotions either, not when he felt so mixed up on the inside. He followed Rose and Hugo from the train, searching the crowded platform for his father. He winced as he felt the sudden stares of other parents on him. Clearly, he was _still_ the number one topic of conversation around here, thanks to the sensationalist coverage in the Prophet. Damn tawdry rag. Scorpius hated the bloody thing.

"C'mon Scorp," Hugo said quietly, tugging on his sleeve even as he cast a longing look over his shoulder back at the departing Meera, "I think I can see your dad over there. He's talking to Uncle Harry."

Sure enough, Scorpius could just make out his father's thinning hair above the crowds and he was indeed talking to Mr Potter, much to his surprise. He and Rose exchanged further glances at seeing Mr and Mrs Weasley stood nearby too and Albus, James and Lily waiting impatiently to leave.

"That's something I _never_ thought I'd see," Rose muttered under her breath, gesturing to the amicable discussion, and Scorpius couldn't help the small smile of agreement that crept onto his lips as he followed his friends.

"Hi daddy, mum," Rose gave her parents a big hug then beamed at her aunt and uncle as she set down Crookshanks cage. He instantly swiped his razor sharp claws through the bars in the vicinity of Mr Weasley's leg, just narrowly missing his trousers.

"Bloody cat, I'll skin you and turn you into a cushion cover," Ron hissed malevolently as he jumped back, and Scorpius' heart lightened when he saw his own father's slight smile of approval as he set down Thea's cage.

"Hi dad."

"Hi son," Draco hugged him, relieved to see him though he instantly realised he was pale and had lost a lot of weight, judging by his gaunt cheeks and sunken eyes. Weight he could ill-afford to lose. Rather like him infact. The thought saddened him ontop of every other emotion he'd already been feeling today. "Good journey?"

"S'ok," Scorpius mumbled sullenly. "Um, are we going back to Devon now?" Every nuance in his voice suggested that he really _didn't_ want to and Draco didn't miss the tone.

Draco exchanged glances with the other adults. "Actually Scorp, I was going to talk to you about that."

Scorpius lifted his head suddenly hopeful at the intonation in his fathers voice; "you were?"

"I was," Draco said quietly, exchanging glances with the other adults, "Mr Potter has offered us the use of his other home in Godric's Hollow for a while should we want to use it. I thought maybe we could use it as a base for walking and hiking for the first couple of weeks this summer. It's in the West Country too but in a small village so it would offer us some much-needed peace and quiet. Nobody will be aware we are going there. I can portkey us there right now, should you agree."

It was impossible not to notice the way the young wizard's eyes brightened immediately at this offer; "really?" his eyes darted to Harry and to Ginny, who were both smiling kindly at him. "I'd like that."

Draco's shoulders relaxed in relief too as he resized his son's trunk and placed it securely in the pocket of his robes; "I thought a break away from Devon for a little while might be beneficial to both of us, not to mention escaping the unwanted attentions of the press. Godric's Hollow will be the last place the Prophet would ever think of looking for us and will offer us privacy for a while."

Scorpius just felt sheer relief flooding him at the fact he wouldn't be in Devon on the anniversary of his mother's death.

"Also," Draco added, exchanging a cordial glance with Mr and Mrs Weasley; "Mr and Mrs Weasle--y thought you might like to spend some time with your friends at the Burrow for a while a bit later on in the summer."

Rose and Hugo both brightened at this news and Lily, James and Albus smiled too; "that would be _brilliant_!" Rose exclaimed happily, "if you come to the Burrow we can play quidditch in the orchard and you can see the gnomes and meet the ghost in the attic and---"

"Easy," Mrs Weasley said good naturedly as she patted her daughter's arm, "Scorpius hasn't said if he _wants_ to visit yet."

All eyes turned to Scorpius who was trying to hide his relief without much success; he wouldn't have to go to Devon after all, at least not straight away. He knew exactly what his father was doing- distracting him on the anniversary of his mother's death, but all of a sudden that didn't seem to matter anymore. "I can _really_ go and stay at the Burrow?" he asked, his eyes shining at the thought of finally getting to go and stay at the place had heard so much about for the last four years, not to mention meeting Roses' grandparents. He couldn't wait and for the first time in a long while he actually felt excited about something again. Rose exchanged a relieved glance with her cousins, all of whom noticed Scorpius looked much happier all of a sudden.

"Of course," Ron said with an amiable smile for the boy, "my mother will be delighted to have you and I take it you have an interest in muggles? No doubt my dad will engage you in serious debate on all matters of muggle life, although I will warn you now: his plug collection is very boring."

Scorpius' muscles suddenly felt like liquid, he was flooded with sudden happiness as he exchanged another beaming smile with a clearly ecstatic Rose; "thank you, I'd love to."

**HPHPHPHPHP**

Godric's Hollow was a strange little village not far from Yeovil in South Somerset in which resided both muggles and wizards, much to Scorpius' fascination, for he had never seen a village where both lived side-by-side to such an extent. Scorpius had never been there before but the village was notorious in wizarding folk law of course, mainly for its association with the Potter family and its namesake Godric Gryffindor, and he was incredibly eager to actually see it. After saying goodbye to the others at Kings Cross, he and his father used a portkey to travel directly to the village square, which was bordered by a row of quaint tumbledown cottages, a tiny post office and some shops, including a baker, a greengrocer and butchers. Ducks floated lazily on a tree lined pond and the very essence of the village was its calm and tranquillity. They would not be bothered by reporters from the Prophet here. His father had been right.

Scorpius liked the small village instantly and was struck by the immediate peace and quiet. He exchanged a smile with his father. "I like it," he said quietly as he gazed around him.

"Potter's house is this way," Draco said with a smile for he liked it too, relieved at his son's reticence as he lugged Thea's cage alongside them, "I gather after the war he had the house fully restored from what it once was. It used to be a wreck, though he himself never comes here now."

Scorpius followed him down the cobbled lane, past small houses and old miner's cottages which he gazed at with fascination. "Is this where Mr Potter and Mrs Weasley tried to find a Horcrux?" he questioned, remembering the story from one of their History of Magic lessons. His grey eyes were already sparkling with interest, which Draco was glad to see. He imagined this village could be one giant history lesson for his son, much as he personally shuddered at the thought. Draco himself was clever, though he had never been very focused on academia.

"I believe so," Draco responded mildly. He looked at his son out of the corner of his eye tentatively and finally voiced what he'd wanted to at Kings Cross; "I'm sorry I didn't discuss this idea with you sooner, son. In all honesty I have been dreading this day immensely; I just automatically assumed that you would want to get out of Devon as much as I did. That house has become incredibly oppressive in recent months. You understand of course that I do not wish to _forget_ your mother, I would just rather remember her privately without the sad reminders of that day overcoming us."

Scorpius smiled, glad his father recognised how he was feeling; "thanks dad."

"For what?" Draco asked, surprised.

"For being you."

Draco swallowed against the lump in his throat as he patted his son's shoulder, wondering exactly when Scorpius had started to become a man before his very eyes; "you're welcome Scorp."

…

Seemingly, Godric's Hollow was just what the Malfoy's needed to try and gain back some semblance of a summer and Draco, though he had felt grateful to Potter before, knew he really owed him one this time. Both he and Scorpius were united in their need to remember Astoria but remember her in the way _they_ wanted to without the need for sombre cemetery visits or memorial services; they hiked during the hot summer days, took day trips to the nearby coastal town of Weymouth, visited old Roman archaeological sites, medieval gardens and National Trust houses, and in the evenings curled up in front of the log fire with hot chocolates and thick buttered scones and just talked about the woman who had been everything to both of them. Draco found that his son was absolutely fascinated by stories of how he and Astoria had gotten together and tales of _him_ as a mischievous youngster and he spent many happy hours reminiscing and recollecting the past. Sometimes there were tears, but more often than not, there were smiles and laughter, just as there should have been. Just as his wife would have wanted.

Here, the two of them weren't tainted by the memory of Lucius. Here for a brief time they felt free. _At last._ Of course both of them were all too aware of the impending trial set for next year which hung like a niggling shadow at the back of their minds, but for one summer, they could at least try to forget about Lucius and concentrate on Astoria and also, on themselves.

It was just what they needed.

…

"I'm glad we came here dad," Scorpius said quietly on their last evening at Godric's Hollow as they tucked into shepherd's pie with thick beef gravy in the local muggle pub. Scorpius couldn't stop gawking at the flashing fruit machines and the bright pool table in the corner, much as he tried to act nonchalant. Muggle games were just so weird!

It was mid-August and the following day, Scorpius was due to floo to the Burrow to stay with the elder Weasley's for a fortnight before heading back to Devon for the last couple of weeks of summer. Rose and Hugo would be joining him in Ottery St Catchpole and whilst Scorpius was excited to be staying there _at last_, he was also almost sorry to say goodbye to Godric's Hollow too. It had been a brilliant idea of Mr Potters and both Scorpius and Draco had grown fond of the wizened old houses, the tiny shops and the enchanted statue in the centre of the square, commemorating the Potter family. The house they had stayed in too, was delightful, though Scorpius could understand Harry's own hesitation in staying there, given the events of the past. Scorpius suspected that Mr Potter, more than anybody- other than his father of course, could understand the way he was thinking and feeling given that he had lost his own family too.

"I'm glad we came too, Scorp," Draco admitted as he ate his meal; "I was reluctant at first, but I think this place has done us both the world of good."

"It was nice of Mr Potter to offer it to us," Scorpius said quietly; "I'm glad that you don't hate each other anymore, dad."

Draco smiled simply. "Me too," then he changed the subject; "are you looking forward to going to stay with the Weasels—I mean the Weasley's?" He reminded himself with irritation that he needed to stop slipping up by calling them that! Both the Potter and the Weasley clans had been nothing but nice to him and his son as of late. He just knew from experience that old habits died hard. Maybe he could cast a stinging hex on himself to remind him if he said it again.

"I can't wait to see _Rose_ again," Scorpius admitted honestly, realising how true it was as he appreciatively shovelled in a mouthful of food; two weeks here and thankfully his appetite was coming back and he was starting to regain the weight he had lost at last, "two weeks seems like such a long time not to see her dad, and even though she sends me owls all the time, it isn't the same as actually _talking_ to her."

Draco studied his son analytically as he chattered away about Rose, even as something in his brain switched into gear and he had to fight to hide a sudden dawning smile of realisation. So, it was like _that_, was it? He didn't say anything outloud, merely listened to his son patiently. "Good," was all he finally said instead, before concentrating on his meal once more. He knew Scorpius would realise things himself in his own time. He was a smart boy after all.

"What about you, dad?" Scorpius asked quietly, looking worried now as he stopped chattering about Rose at last, "will you be ok going back to Devon on your own for a couple of weeks until I get back?"

"I think the worst is over," Draco said simply, his eyes reassuring; "I'll be fine."

Scorpius actually started to believe for the first time, that that _would_ be true.

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

When the world finally stopped spinning after the portkey journey to Ottery St Catchpole, it took Scorpius a few minutes to recover. Glad he hadn't yet eaten lunch for he surely would have just lost it, he followed his dad down the grassy slope towards the house in the distance.

The Burrow.

Scorpius' eyes lit up when he saw it and unconsciously he quickened his steps. It was _exactly_ as Rose always described and looked even more brilliant than it did in her and Hugos' photos. As he drew nearer he saw the lazy smoke wafting up from several lopsided chimneys. The house itself was built over multiple floors and was incredibly crooked looking. Infact, Scorpius thought it was a miracle it was even standing at all, but it just made the place even more exciting as far as he was concerned and he couldn't wait to see what it was like inside.

Beside him, Draco was eyeing the house with a sceptical smile. Scorpius shot him a warning look as they descended the final few yards towards the tumbledown garage and the yard at the front of the house. "I was just thinking it's just what I expected," Draco admitted, and added albeit reluctantly, "it looks rather cosy actually. Not my sort of preferred dwelling, but it will suffice for you for two weeks I imagine."

Scorpius smiled, satisfied that his father would be polite to the Weasley's, and then his eyes lit up again as he finally caught sight of Rose. His best friend was seated on the front doorstep to the crooked house reading a thick book and absentmindedly twirling a red curl around her fingers. His eyes rested on the books title with sudden bewilderment; _Intermediate French_. Why in Merlin's name was Rose learning French? _Over achiever_, he thought with amusement, realising now just how much he had missed her. Then all other thoughts suddenly vanished from his mind as he just watched her turn the pages, muttering something under her breath.

Scorpius was quite unaware that he'd even stopped walking as his eyes rested on his best friend, drinking her in. Something was… different.

Rose didn't _look_ any different admittedly, other than she was barefoot and wearing cut-off denim jeans that exposed her long legs and a pale blue t-shirt as opposed to her usual Ravenclaw robes, but Scorpius just knew that something _was_. Something had inexplicably shifted and he didn't know what had happened. His brow furrowed and he became aware that his heart was thudding slightly as he just watched her silently, unsure as to the sudden feelings flooding through him. Something just felt… different. Or rather, _he_ felt different when he looked at Rose and he was confused. It had only been two weeks since he had last seen her, so why did it suddenly feel like it had been so much longer than that? Beside him, Draco arched a brow of his own as he eyeballed his son impatiently and tutted, though that knowing smirk was on his face again.

"Aren't you going to make Rose aware of our presence?" he suggested lightly, deciding not to make a big deal out of this, for Scorpius was looking perplexed enough as it was; "or are we going to stand here loitering outside their gate all morning?"

"Oh, yes…" Scorpius flushed as he came back down to earth with a blink, but there was no need to call out for Rose had already seen them, set down the book on the step and was beaming as she hurried to unlock the gate, scurrying through the dusty yard, heedless of her bare feet.

"Hi!" she said happily as Crookshanks II wound around her ankles whilst calling back over her shoulder, "granny, granddad! Scorps' here!"

To Draco's amusement, his son flushed even further as Rose greeted him with a huge hug. "I'm so glad to see you!" she chattered as she led them into the house; "hi Mr Malfoy! Did you have a good time in Godric's Hollow? I bet you got to do loads of walking, didn't you? Granny! Grandad!" she bellowed again in a rather unladylike manner.

She _had_ to shout over the noise inside the house and Draco and Scorpius' eyes took in the cluttered interior with abject fascination. It seemed bigger than it had looked on the outside that was for certain. Draco imagined it had been magically extended over the years to fit in the vast array of furniture that seemed to take up the majority of the space, not to mention the entire Weasley clan. The floors were wooden and the walls simply covered with framed family photos or colourful children's drawings. Draco managed to refrain from shuddering at the numerous Weasley's staring down at them suspiciously from the walls.

"Granny and granddad are in the kitchen," Rose reported over the chattering and laughter coming from the living room as they passed by it; "Lily, James and Albus came for lunch with Uncle Harry and Aunty Ginny but my mum and dad are both at work today…" Draco caught sight of Potter, seated next to his wife on the couch and exchanged a small nod with him as he followed the teenagers down the hallway.

Rose led them to the doorway of the large kitchen which was dominated by a huge stone fireplace and from which emanated the most delicious smell of cooking. Even Draco's mouth was instantly watering as his eyes took in the battered pots and pans that were bubbling away on the stove and at the vegetables that were cooking themselves.

"This is brilliant," Scorpius said softly as he gazed around himself in awe- at the herbs growing in little pots on the windowsill, the strange items that looked like muggle cooking utensils gathered haphazardly in a jug on a draining board and at the muddy footprints all over the stone floor. A smile spread over his face. This kitchen was definitely used and he liked that.

Roses' eyes lit up; glad to have his approval as she pulled him further into the room and introduced him to the two adults who were seated drinking coffee at the large wooden table. "Granny, granddad, _this_ is Scorpius," she said, a note of pride in her voice.

Draco remembered Molly and Arthur Weasley from years earlier and the years had been infinitely kinder to them than to Lucius and Narcissa. Possibly this country air, he supposed as the elderly couple smiled kindly at his son. Molly's wrinkled face then tilted to his and he was surprised at the unfaltering smile of welcome now directed at _him_. "It's nice to see both of you," she said politely. "I'm delighted you're here to stay, Scorpius. Rosie never stops talking about you."

"Gran!" Rose said exasperated, her cheeks turning a little pink. Draco hid another small smirk as Scorpius flushed too. He'd never seen his son blush so much in one day before. Rose Weasley certainly had a lot to answer for, he thought with amusement.

Arthur Weasley extended a genial hand to both Draco and Scorpius next. "Nice to meet you at last," he greeted the younger Malfoy; "am I to understand that you too have an interest in muggles?"

"Yes sir," Scorpius said with an affirmative nod, looking pleased.

"Then you and I will get on famously, young Scorpius," Arthur said with a grin, gesturing to the comfortable looking seats opposite him. "Have a seat. Can I ask you what your opinion is on the internet?"

Draco hid a smile as his son was instantly accepted into the folds of the Weasley family. He looked so happy to be here, if a little overwhelmed by the kindness that was shown to him, as Arthur immediately began chewing his ear off about computers.

Draco too was invited to stay for lunch, surprisingly, which turned out to be a bloody delicious steak and kidney pie that was practically the same length as the vast table. Molly Weasley's cooking was just as good as Astoria's had been and Draco realised as he ate that he felt perfectly comfortable in leaving his son here. The Weasley's all tried to include _him_ in their conversation too, but it was Harry who drew him to one side, just before he left to catch his portkey back to Devon and enquired as to his stay at Godric's Hollow. He seemed pleased that Draco and Scorpius had found it beneficial.

"He'll be alright here," Harry said in a kind voice, seeing how Draco's eyes drifted to his son now with some concern. "Molly and Arthur will treat him just like one of their own. The way they treated me. This was 'home' to me more than my aunt and uncles house ever was."

Draco cast a final glance back into the loud, raucous kitchen where Scorpius was chatting to Rose about her sudden need to learn French over a big slice of homemade apple pie and cream. James and Albus fought for the final remaining slice of pie (though they had already both eaten two slices already), with Molly and Ginny trying to calm them down. His son's eyes were animated and smile bright in a way that Draco had not seen in ages. It was almost as if he had cast off the shroud of gloom he had worn for so long and had welcomed happiness back into his life once more. "Good," he said with a reserved smile for Harry as he pulled on his dress robes and prepared to depart. "It's what he needs..."

"So…Why are you learning _French_?" Scorpius asked his best friend as he ate his final bite of pie. Mrs Weasley was a bloody good cook.

"It's a secret," Rose said with a mischievous expression on her face, licking the last of cream from her spoon.

"From me?" Scorpius asked, startled. He really wanted to know the reason, but if she didn't want to tell him... He tried to suppress his look of hurt.

"No, from _everyone else_," Rose tilted her head towards her little brother and Lily, who were listening to their conversation avidly and making little faces. Scorpius got the message and grinned, pantomiming zipping his lips.

"Tell you later," Rose promised in a whisper, her head close to his and causing him to blush even more yet simultaneously wondering _why_ as her lips hovered close to his ears. This was just Rose after all. What on earth was wrong with him today?

He soon forgot his discomfort and feelings of weirdness however as Mrs Weasley conjured another pie from the kitchen- blackberry and raspberry this time with a thick cinnamon sprinkled crust, and the family cheered in approval.

Scorpius realised that by spending time at the Burrow with Rose, he was going to have a bloody good summer.

…

He did. The best summer he could remember infact. His mornings were relaxed and spent eating breakfast with the Weasley's (some days more than others appeared) at the crowded table in the kitchen. In the afternoons he and Rose went for long walks in the countryside or played games with Hugo. If her cousins came to visit as they so often did, a frantic game of apple quidditch in the orchard usually got underway- and their evenings were spent pleasantly reading by the fire, him testing Rose on her French vocabulary or playing muggle board games with Molly and Arthur Weasley, who had a penchant for scrabble and cluedo.

Rose had eventually admitted the real reason she was trying to learn French in the first place was because she wanted to attend a university in Paris upon her eventual graduation from Hogwarts. She'd confided in him one scorching day whilst they were dangling their legs in the icy cold pond. Scorpius thought that admittedly whilst she _was_ planning her future bloody early, being prepared wouldn't hurt, though he did of course tease her mercilessly over her somewhat dubious French accent. Rose had retaliated in turn by shoving _him_ into the water which had eventually escalated into a fully fledged water fight.

It felt good to laugh and joke once more.

He helped to de-gnome the garden, tried out new pranks from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes courtesy of Roses' Uncle George and generally really felt welcome there. When Roses' mum and dad stopped by he also found Mr Weasley was more than happy to chat to him about the quidditch league, and he found it hard to believe that he and his dad had ever been enemies at school. Scorpius missed his own dad terribly of course, but they floo-called each other all the time and as his fortnight at the Burrow finally drew to an end, Scorpius had to admit that going back to Devon was going to be strange. He would miss Rose. He could hardly wait for school to start, just so he could get back to seeing her every day again and he hadn't even left her yet.

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

Being back in Devon _was_ weird, though not as bad as what Scorpius had expected, given that he knew he wasn't going to be here for too much longer before heading back to Hogwarts for his fifth year. His dad had to work some days of course, so Scorpius kept himself busy hiking or going for long walks on the beach and reminiscing about his two brilliant weeks at the Burrow. He also spent a lot of time owling his friends and reading, anything to take his mind off things. He found that he also spent a lot of time thinking about _Rose_, which he had to admit was beginning to concern him given the intensity of his thoughts all of a sudden. He just couldn't get her smiling face or merry freckles out of his head and would often find himself grinning at the memory of something she'd said at the most inopportune of moments. It didn't mean anything though... did it?

Of course it didn't. What could it possibly mean?

It was a bright Saturday morning at breakfast time when one of the school postal owls arrived, bearing an envelope which Scorpius knew would contain his book list for next term and he smiled as he opened the crisp envelope, embossed with the Hogwarts seal, wondering what texts he'd get to study this year. Draco was sat calmly eating a bowl of porridge and spluttered, almost choking on it when Scorpius suddenly let out a loud exclamation. "Oh!"

"What on _earth's_ the matter?" Draco asked his son, concerned as he elegantly dabbed at his mouth with a napkin.

Scorpius was beaming however as he tipped the envelope upside down; "I'm a prefect!" he said happily, "look!"

To Draco's pride, Scorpius showed his father the small shiny badge, engraved with the letter 'P' next to a silver eagle.

"Well done," Draco said proudly, "that's brilliant news, son. Following in my footsteps, though admittedly I hope you will be a far more responsible prefect than I was. I doubt you will abuse your position as much as I did. Don't ever tell anyone I told you that..."

"I thought Lysander might get it," Scorpius admitted as he raked his eyes over the list of textbooks required; "oh.. I need some new books this term. Brilliant! A new potions textbook and another one for astronomy I think."

"We'll go to Diagon Alley this afternoon if you like," Draco proffered, "I don't have to work today and I've also noticed you could do with some new robes. You seem to grow several inches just before the start of every term. I do believe it's a conspiracy."

Scorpius smiled, pleased and then light dawned in his face; "can I use the telephone?" he asked hopefully, beaming down at the shiny silver badge in his palm, his breakfast now long forgotten; "I need to call Rose straight away. I bet _she _got one too. This is going to be brilliant! We can patrol together."

Draco smiled in amusement, they'd had a phone installed at Scorpius' begging the year he'd began Muggle Studies at Hogwarts but it was _obviously_ rarely used- infact, Draco didn't have the faintest idea how to work it; "of course you can."

Scorpius was already dialling, his knowledge with muggle technology impressing his father. After a couple of moments the receiver was picked up. "HELLO?" bellowed the unmistakeable voice of Ron Weasley. Apparently the man had never cottoned on to using a muggle telephone either, even after years of being married to Hermione.

Draco smirked as he picked up his spoon again and concentrated on his porridge, he could hear the other man from here. Scorpius winced and rubbed his ear; "Mr Weasley, it's Scorpius. Please can I speak to Rose?"

"SCORPIUS! OF COURSE YOU CAN, LAD. LET ME JUST GET HER FOR YOU. ROSE! ROSE, IT'S SCORPIUS!"

Blessedly, the line went silent once more before Roses' soft voice spoke into the receiver. Just to hear her voice again after only a week made Scorpius smile happily and his cheeks grow warm. "Hi Scorp."

"Hi," he said excitedly trying to ignore the little flip flops in his stomach, "guess what? I got my prefect badge today! I just called to check you'd had yours and---"

"I haven't," Rose said quietly, instantly dimming his enthusiasm, "I got my book list for next school term but no badge."

"Oh," Scorpius said, startled; "well obviously there's been some mistake and---"

"There hasn't been," Rose supplied quietly, "Meera's been made the other Ravenclaw prefect, she's just owled me to tell me. Congratulations," she added quietly; "I know you'll both do brilliant jobs."

Scorpius felt instantly subdued. Rose wasn't a prefect. Why wasn't she a prefect? "I'm sorry," he said softly, "I don't know why you didn't get it…"

Across the room, Draco's eyebrows lifted at hearing his son's end of the conversation. _That_ was certainly an interesting predicament.

Rose sounded blasé. "It might be a blessing actually," she admitted, "with our OWLS coming up and stuff next year. I'll have more time to study, and learn French too of course. I can't forget that if I want to study abroad."

"I imagine so," Scorpius didn't sound very sure at all. He _knew_ she'd wanted to be a prefect, especially since both her parents had been. He _hated_ it when Rose tried to put a brave face on it. It reminded him of the quidditch try outs in their first year and her obvious disappointment then.

"Scorp, I have to go," Rose said quickly, her voice hollow, "my mum's calling me. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

Scorpius couldn't hear Mrs Weasley calling; "Ok but I'm---"

There was an audible click as Rose hung up the phone.

Crestfallen, Scorpius listened to the ringing of the dial tone before he too, hung up. Then he turned to face his father; "Rose _isn't_ a prefect," he said quietly.

"So I gather. Is she alright?" Draco's voice was suitably concerned but moreso for his son. He'd sensed how much Scorpius wanted to be a prefect alongside his best friend. It would have been fitting for both of them to have been placed in positions of academic authority.

"I don't think so," Scorpius answered quietly. Now that he knew Rose wasn't a prefect like he'd been expecting, he wasn't looking forward to the next school year at all anymore with its yucky exams, not to mention the fact Lucius' trial would happen the following March. The one bright spot in his fifth year had just been taken away from him. It just wasn't fair.

Suddenly his fantastic summer just seemed like a distant memory.

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: ***Sigh.* Nothing like a little Harry/Draco bonding to warm my otherwise icy cold heart. Oh, the Godric's Hollow stuff? I tried to do as much research from the books as possible and HP Lexicon but as it only says it's in the "West Country," I decided to place it in Somerset. If anyone knows any different, please let me know so I can rectify this!! Thanks :)

_Next chapter: _The trial of Lucius Malfoy begins...


	19. The trial of Lucius Malfoy

**The trial of Lucius Malfoy**

**Disclaimer: **See ch1.

**Warning: **Um, another LONG chapter.

* * *

**September 1****st**** 2020;**

Even the notion that her ugly metallic brace had been taken off _at last_ didn't make Rose feel any better that she wasn't to be a prefect in her fifth year at Hogwarts. Perfect teeth didn't even matter to her now, she realised miserably, though she wasn't scared to open her mouth anymore when she smiled since her visit to the muggle dentist three days earlier. _If_ she smiled, she thought darkly, for the way things had ended up over the past couple of weeks, _that_ seemed to be a really rare event now.

She'd been brooding about the prefect situation for days already and as the summer holidays finally drew to a close, Ron and even the ever patient Hermione were at the end of their tether with her introverted moods. As September 1st finally dawned and Rose and Hugo gathered their trunks for school, Rose realised that for once, she wasn't looking forward to getting back to school and seeing the shiny prefect badge on Meera's robes. The prefect badge _she_ could have had, she thought, trying to fight back the waves of jealousy welling within her. It was just too bad: Scorpius was going to be a prefect without her.

Rose, being Rose, didn't stop to question why the thought of Scorpius being a prefect _without her_ seemingly bothered her more than her not being made a prefect in the first place. All she knew was that she was jealous and she didn't like that he'd get to do something with another girl instead of her. Even if that girl _was_ Meera and her closest female friend.

It should have been her, she thought unhappily as she packed her final garments and books for school; it really should.

As she clattered downstairs, she bumped into her brother who was just leaving his own bedroom, struggling with his over-stuffed trunk. She scowled at him as his eyes roved over her miserable face speculatively. "What?" she snapped, brushing past him impatiently and joining her parents at the foot of the stairs.

"_Someone_ got up on the wrong side of bed this morning," Hugo deduced cheekily, opting for light heartedness as he usually did, "what's the matter with you?"

"I'm not a _prefect!_" Rose blurted hotly, slamming down her trunk at the bottom of the stairs so that a thick cloud of dust rose into the air from the weather-beaten hall rug; "_that's_ what's the bloody matter, Hugo!" With a scowl, she watched as her mother resized her trunk to pocket-sized proportions and then she glared at her brother malevolently as she shoved it in her satchel, utterly fed up.

Ron and Hermione exchanged tentative glances as they pulled on their dress robes and Hugo squirmed guiltily as he looked at his older sister with evident sympathy; "sorry Rosie. I didn't mean to rub your nose in it."

"Of _course_ you didn't," Rose said sarcastically, folding her arms huffily and turning away to gaze out of the hall window at the lush green garden, refusing to be appeased; "are we going to portkey to the bloody station or not?"

Ron, who could be moody with the best of them, had the utmost sympathy for his daughter not getting to be a prefect, he really did, but she'd been a complete pain in the backside these last few days of the summer holidays, causing the entire family to walk on eggshells around her. She'd been sulky and snappy with everyone since not receiving a prefects badge through the post, a complete contrast to how happy she'd seemed whilst at the Burrow with Scorpius infact. He only hoped that once she got back to Hogwarts with her friend, he'd cheer her up. He highly _doubted_ it, given what the young wizard had to face himself shortly, but he could only hope that something would dispel his daughter's mercurial temperament of late. He was about to say something but his wife beat him to it.

"Less of the language please," she said mildly, casting her daughter a reproachful look as she busied herself with sorting Hugo's trunk; "if you carry on behaving the way you have these past couple of days once you get back to school, your friends will avoid you like you have spattergroit."

"I don't care," Rose said defiantly, though some of the fire went out of her eyes at her mother's scolding as she folded her arms crossly. Her parents were supposed to be on _her_ side!

Thankfully, any further family disputes were halted by the flash of green flames in the fireplace. Harry, Ginny and the kids were arriving at the house by floo. The brood was to travel onto Kings Cross together like they usually did and Ron only hoped that Rose would be _slightly_ less grumpy with her cousins around, though he wasn't holding his breath.

"Alright Rosie, Hugo," Albus greeted them with a cheeky grin, his eyes flashing with their usual merriment as he stepped out of the stone fireplace. "Fifth years eh, can you believe it?"

"_You_ still act like a first year with your barmy mates," James chimed in imperiously, referring to Lorcan and Phillius, "so no."

Albus smiled good-naturedly as Lily fussed with her robes, stepping out of the fireplace next. "The day they develop a non-dusty method of floo travel, the better we'll all be," she said with a sigh, smoothing down her red hair and shaking her arms with irritation. "Hu, did you get that Charms essay finished yet? I need to see your notes on the train…"

Harry and Ginny greeted Ron and Hermione next with smiles amid the boisterous chatter. Harry's sharp eyes rested on his niece's crestfallen face however and he cast a surreptitious inquiring glance towards his brother-in-law. "_Didn't get prefect_," Ron mouthed dismally, tilting his head back towards his daughter. He looked utterly fed up and Harry could only imagine how sulky Rose had been over the past few days, which would have been a real treat for the Weasley's. _Not._

Light dawned in Harry's eyes at this insight. Well, he certainly knew how that felt: not to be made a prefect, didn't he? He could recall with crystal clear clarity his own feelings of jealousy and misery in _his_ fifth year when Ron had been made a prefect over him and the hurt he'd endured when Ron and Hermione had attended meetings and patrolled the school without him. He'd felt… left behind by them almost, their little trio suddenly fractured, so he could certainly empathise with his niece right now. His niece who was looking decidedly unhappy as she looked down at her trunk, her pretty freckled face creased in a frown.

"Why don't you lot go and get something to drink," Harry suggested casually, steering Ginny and the others towards the kitchen. "I just wanted to speak to Rosie about something."

"You did?" Rose asked, looking up, startled from her reverie as he beckoned her towards the garden.

"I did," Harry confirmed with a smile. He led her outside where they sat on the wooden bench by a waving purple flutterby bush, warmed by the early morning sunlight.

"What's wrong, Uncle Harry?" Rose asked, puzzled. At first she thought he was going to talk to her about Scorpius, about Lucius' trial… she was wrong on both counts however as her uncle smiled patiently at her.

Harry got straight to the point, just like he always did; "I never got to be a prefect at Hogwarts either," he told her simply, "your dad was chosen as the Gryffindor prefect over me when we were at school and it wound me up no end."

"It did?" Rose looked like she felt slightly better by this news then looked down at her hands, her cheeks pink as if feeling guilty for thinking such a thing.

"I was jealous as anything," Harry said matter of factly, "I wondered why your dad was chosen over _me_ when I'd done loads of things at school. I was on the quidditch team, faced Voldemort… all that stuff. I never told your dad how much it bothered me, but I reckon he knew all the same. I was a bit of a prat to him at the time but then I realised that your dad deserved it just as much as me. Maybe even more than I did, actually. It had never even _occurred_ to him that he could even be a prefect, he was so modest."

Rose bit her lip, reflecting on his words and at the notion that Meera deserved to be a prefect just as much as _she_ did too; "Meera's kind and she's brilliant with people," she admitted now reluctantly, looking somewhat shamefaced, for she'd been so jealous of her friend since she'd received the owl from her the previous week. "She's clever and she always has time to listen to people's problems. She's a lot more confident than me. I suppose I just thought _I'd_ be made a prefect because I'm top of the year in everything— well, nearly everything," she amended, thinking of her constant friendly rivalry with Scorpius. "I suppose it doesn't always come down to academics though, does it?" She sounded ashamed of her own presumptions.

Like Harry was reading her mind, he spoke up; "I take it young Scorpius is the other fifth year Ravenclaw prefect?"

Rose nodded miserably; "that's no surprise to _anyone_ I expect. He's nice and he's intelligent, amongst other things…" She didn't elaborate on "other things" and Harry fought hard to hide his smirk, wondering if his niece had even cottoned on to the extent of her own feelings for the lad yet. Give her time.

Harry smiled thoughtfully instead as he looked up at the cornflower blue sky; "it might do him good to have something else to concentrate on this year," he suggested mildly as he casually lifted his shoulders. "He's got a lot on his plate with the trial and everything else."

Rose felt embarrassed at her behaviour and the notion she'd never thought of that herself; "I wasn't very nice to him when he told me," she confessed now, her insides squirming at the memory, "I don't think my congratulations sounded very sincere. I just---it would have been good to be prefect alongside him, that's all."

"I'm sure he'll understand," Harry said consolingly. "Besides, being a prefect is LOADS of responsibility, you'll have more time to practice quidditch- bring the cup in for Ravenclaw again, and concentrate on revising for your O.W.L.S, oh, and what's all this I hear about you learning French? You'll have plenty of time for all that if you aren't patrolling corridors, doling out detentions to all and sundry."

Rose looked like she felt marginally better about things as she gave her uncle a quick hug; "thanks Uncle Harry. I'm sorry; I was over reacting about all this, wasn't I? I was just really disappointed, that's all."

"No, you weren't over reacting," he assured her kindly, "well, maybe just a bit… but you might want to say sorry to your mum and dad for being such a grumpy so-and-so for these past couple of days."

"You can tell I was sulking?" Rose flushed hotly as she tucked a curl behind her ears.

"Rose, your father is _Ronald Weasley_," Harry pointed out patiently as he followed her back into the house, a big grin forming on his face, "I'd be amazed if you _hadn't_ been sulking about this!"

**HPHPHPHPHP**

The start of the students fifth year at Hogwarts proved to be uneventful. As always Rose, Scorpius and the others settled into their lessons, into quidditch practices and Hogsmeade visits with gusto. Rose tried her hardest not to mind whenever she saw Meera and Scorpius heading off for their prefect duties and she honestly didn't feel jealous whenever she saw them chatting together and heading off for patrol- well, not _too_ jealous anyway. She knew Meera was happy enough with Lorcan, though she didn't know why that mattered in the grand scheme of things or what that had to do with anything, she thought, perplexed. She had to admit that she felt slightly better that whenever they got in from their touring of the grounds though; Scorpius always joined her and Lysander on the settee, retelling the nights events or aiding her with her French vocabulary and grammar. He appeared to be making a conscious effort to include her in the aspects of Hogwarts she was missing, just like he had with quidditch training in their first year and she wondered if he knew how much it meant to her that he wasn't leaving her out. Similarly, he seemed to be much brighter than she'd expected too: her Uncle Harry had been right; prefect duties were a good focus of concentration for Scorpius.

As September rolled into October however and the leaves began to fall from the trees, the dark nights drew in and she noticed that Scorpius seemed to become slightly withdrawn. Often she glanced up from a book she was reading in the common room or looked up from a Potions essay she was cramming over in the library, to find him looking over at her, an indecipherable expression on his face. Whenever he caught her eye, he flushed and turned away but when she prodded him to find out what was wrong, he didn't elaborate. Rose was growing concerned by his unwillingness to talk, but imagined it was probably to do with his grandfather, so she didn't press him further.

…

To say that Scorpius was "confused" would be an understatement, and at the moment he just didn't need any more confusion or distractions in his already stressful life. It was doubtful as to whether Rose actually _knew_ she was a distraction or that she was confusing him at all, but more to the point, she just... was.

Scorpius had a constant headache from all the thinking he'd been doing lately. It wasn't _just_ the worry of his grandfather's forthcoming trial, scheduled to begin in March or the ever-present sensationalist media coverage about the Malfoy's in the Daily Prophet, though that _did_ give him food for thought, particularly since Narcissa had done a bunk back over to Hong Kong to escape the scandalous furore and neither he nor his father had heard from her since. No, it was… Rose.

Ever since the last blissful summer spent at the Burrow he had wondered if quite possibly he was losing his mind. He must have been. _Something_ was certainly wrong for him to constantly notice the way Roses' eyes lit up like sapphires whenever she was happy about something or caught the quaffle in quidditch or the way that her snub nose crinkled if she found something distasteful. Not to mention her brilliantly-perfect-almost-constant smile ever since she'd had the awkward brace taken off her teeth at the end of the holidays and the way her usually frizzy hair was now a sleek cascade of curls. Rose literally, was blossoming as her sixteenth birthday approached and every single time he noticed one of his fellow Ravenclaws or even a boy from one of the other houses staring at her, he was seized by an unnatural jealousy and had the incredible urge to hex them three ways to Sunday. Rose was _his, _he thought with a possessiveness that rather alarmed him.

Scorpius didn't know _what_ in Merlin was going on or why he should notice every tiny little nuance about his best friend lately and truthfully, he wasn't quite sure that he wanted to find out the reason either. It bloody scared him to death.

**HPHPHPHPHP**

March dawned, the golden daffodils flourished in the fields around Hogwarts and the weather grew steadily warmer, though the ever present Scottish wind still billowed around the castle. Lucius' trial was set for the twelfth of March at the Ministry of Magic and in the days leading up to it, Scorpius tried to keep himself as busy as possible. He and his father were due to attend the trial, he'd be flooing to London directly from McGonagall's office- both of them wholeheartedly wanted to see justice done for Astoria, but every time he thought of what could happen and what skeletons the trial would no doubt uncover, he felt completely sick. He was back to the raging insomnia he'd suffered in the months after his mother's death and he and Lysander were back to eating chocolate frogs and éclairs in the middle of the night in their dormitory again, sharing whispered secrets and confidences. Much as he _was_ close to Lysander however, Scorpius was still unable to admit his readily growing feelings for Rose to him- they were so new and scary especially since Rose was one of his best friends and he was frightened of telling her how he suspected he really felt. The last thing he ever wanted to do was make Rose uncomfortable to be around him if she didn't like him back. That would be the worst thing ever and so embarrassing, not to mention it would probably destroy their friendship indefinitely.

And why _would_ she like him back? There was nothing to say she felt the same way, not one tiny indication. Scorpius felt that was part of the problem: Rose was brilliant. She was clever and kind and incredibly pretty, much as _she_ probably didn't think so, having had low self confidence for such a long time whilst wearing her brace. Lots of boys at school were getting interested in her now and it bothered him more than he cared to admit, even as he felt guilty and selfish for having thoughts other than the trial at the moment.

Why in Hades name was life so confusing?

**HPHPHPHPHP**

"Do you want to talk about it, Scorp?" Roses' voice was soft; her eyes deeply compassionate as she curled up on the settee in the emptying Ravenclaw common room the evening before the Malfoy trial was due to begin. Scorpius lifted his head from where he'd been staring mournfully into space from the wooden table where he'd not been studying and shook his head silently as he got up, leaving his half-finished Astronomy essay behind him.

"Not really," he admitted quietly, taking a seat beside her now. "It's just---I have so many things swirling around in my mind and I don't know what's going to happen. I don't want to overwhelm you with a sudden outburst of emotions…"

Rose smiled kindly; "that's what friends are for."

_Friends. _Scorpius smiled dismally but kept his thoughts to himself. If Rose knew the way he'd _really _been thinking about her lately and that it was about as far from 'friends' as you could get… His own thoughts made him blush sometimes.

"What do you want to happen to Lucius?" Rose ventured tentatively.

No one had asked him that yet. Scorpius thought for a moment; "I suppose--- for him to stay Azkaban," he admitted uncomfortably, "forever. To _suffer_ if that doesn't sound horribly droll. He was able to buy his way out before and even after the Battle of Hogwarts the Ministry went easy on him thinking he'd been 'reformed' somewhat… I want him to be locked away. For good. He's _evil_, Rose. It's not just what he did to my mother- it's everything. He's cruel and calculating and deep down, he's always been a death eater."

Roses' eyes were bright. She hated the pain that he was going through. "I expect with all the memories in that pensieve, he's going to be given a hefty sentence as it is. The appearance in front of the Wizengamot is probably just a formality. After all, he wasn't bailed after he was arrested. If he pleads guilty, he'll just be sentenced straight away, won't he? They won't even need to dig into all the evidence and start analysing it, the Wizengamot's head judge can just pass a sentence on him."

Scorpius nodded, wondering if she'd been speaking to her uncle about the trial for she seemed fairly knowledgeable about the procedures. "Your uncle is supposed to testify alongside my dad."

"My uncle has experience with the Wizengamot," Rose reported, hugging her knees and unconsciously shifting a bit closer to him; "he was once put on trial for the use of under-age magic outside of school, you know."

"Seriously?" Scorpius was amazed, for he'd never heard that story before, even from his dad. "What happened?"

"He made a patronus to chase away some dementors during the school holidays," Rose explained, recalling the story, "the Ministry were being tough on all supporters of Dumbledore back then, especially Uncle Harry. Anyway, he got off with a caution—" she hastened to add; "—but that's only because the Ministry knew he _wasn't _to blame. With Lucius, they have evidence of everything he's done. He should plead guilty and just save everyone the trouble of having to testify against him. The pensieve says it all. I bet they'll have all his dodgy associates gathered too, get all those still practicing the dark arts in one fell swoop."

Scorpius smiled at her valiant assurance; "I wish you could come with me tomorrow, I could certainly do with that optimism in the courtroom."

"You know me," Rose said with a merry wink that did funny things to his insides despite the tense situation; "I'm a goblet half-full kind of person… but I'll be thinking of you all day."

Scorpius squeezed her hand, glad to hear it; "thanks Rose."

He was rewarded with a beautiful bright smile as the two of them gazed into the roaring fire.

…

Things have a funny way of going that much more quickly when you are dreading them immensely and Scorpius woke up the following day feeling sick, unable to believe this day was here at last.

_"Please let him plead guilty,"_ he thought miserably as he washed and changed into his smartest robes; _"please let him just admit he did it so that dad is spared the agony of testifying and reliving that pensieve memory again."_ That was one of Scorpius' unspoken biggest fears- that the pensieve memory of his mother's death would be shown to the Wizengamot and he'd have to see it too. He didn't know if he could bear that or the effect it would have on his dad.

He didn't go down to the great hall for breakfast and instead stayed in the empty dormitory, unable to face what he was sure would be the stares and whispers of the fellow students on this day. Lysander brought him some toast and pumpkin jam which he was unable to eat. When the bell rang for students to go to classes, he finally felt safe in going down to the common room, where to his surprise he found Rose and Lysander waiting there for him, dressed for lessons as usual.

"You should be in Care of Magical Creatures," he protested, looking to Lysander with concern, "and you…" he regarded Rose, startled she was here and missing a class in the first place; "…you should be in Charms."

"We can be a bit late," Rose ventured; "we just wanted to say good luck…"

"We'll be thinking about you mate," Lysander agreed, "with any luck the bastard will admit to everything and you'll be back in school by this afternoon. If he pleads guilty they'll sort him out, no problem."

"That would be preferable," Scorpius answered, touched by their care.

Rose suddenly pulled him into a big hug which he found himself returning, flushing under Lysander's immediate scrutiny. Brown eyes raked over the two students as he arched a knowing brow and Scorpius was all too aware of his immediate suspicious stare. Great. He'd probably be questioned about _that_ later. Why did Lysander choose now of all times, to be perceptive?

"Good luck," Rose murmured as she released him, "we'll see you tonight." She and Lysander reluctantly departed as Scorpius slowly made his way to the headmistress's office where he knew his father would be waiting for him.

"Dad!" Scorp greeted his dad with relief as he entered McGonagall's office where the headmistress was busily writing a letter at her large desk. Sure enough, his father was pacing the rug in front of the fire, his face drawn but he smiled wanly when he saw his son.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked him tentatively, wringing his hands. "If you don't feel up to it…"

"I'm alright," Scorpius replied uncertainly, knowing that he needed to be strong for his father, who was looking decidedly anxious. He needed his support. He was doing this for him and for his mother.

"Good luck both of you," McGonagall ventured brusquely, giving Scorpius a kind smile, "though I'm sure justice will be done today at last."

Draco smiled weakly as they stepped towards the fire; "let's hope so, headmistress. Ministry of Magic!" he called firmly, as they disappeared into the bright green flames and vanished with a fizzle.

**HPHPHPHP**

Scorpius had been to the Ministry before of course. He had visited his father's office on numerous occasions, but today felt different as he and his father entered the rather grand long entrance hall, through one of the many fireplaces, bypassing golden statues and the magnificent water fountain, trying not to notice the rather obvious stares of the witches and wizards scurrying past them to get to their own offices. Lucius' trial was scheduled to begin in Courtroom Ten at ten o'clock and it was approaching 9:45 now. They needed to get a move on. Scorpius smoothed down his robe as he anxiously followed his dad down towards the lifts.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked his son tentatively as the golden grill doors slid shut.

"I'll be ok," said Scorpius trying to be brave and conjure up some of Roses' optimism, "we're doing this for mum."

"Indeed we are," replied Draco with a watery smile, proud of him. "Whatever happens today, Scorp- just know that you'll always have me, ok?"

Scorpius managed a weak smile as the lift jolted downwards, stopping at various floors to allow other occupants of the lift to exit. "Department of Mysteries," announced a chirpy female voice as it halted altogether and they departed.

"We have to take another flight of stairs," Draco informed him, trying hard to appear unruffled as they did just that; "the courtroom is down here I believe. Potter informed me earlier."

Scorpius followed his father through a set of doors into a stone walled corridor lined on both sides by heavy oak doors. The atmosphere was sombre and oppressive and he instantly felt his heart sink down into his shoes. The reality of what was about to happen was just hitting him. His grandfather was about to stand trial for the manslaughter of his mother, amongst other sordid crimes they didn't even know the full extent of yet. This was unreal.

"In here," Draco told him as they reached a huge oak door with an iron handle, which he pushed open with a creak.

The courtroom was already filling and Scorpius tried hard not to stare as he followed his father to an empty bench at the front of the room which was adjacent to a large wooden witness box and rows of tiered wooden seats that looked down on them, some of which were already filled by witches and wizards in plum coloured robes who were clearly the jury of the Wizengamot. Scorpius did a quick headcount as he sat beside his father facing them and estimated their number to be at least forty. Some of them were old, some young but all looked rather serious. He spotted Roses' Uncle Percy in there, wearing wire rimmed glasses and looking rather self important and instinctively his eyes glanced around at the other nearby benches. Sure enough, Roses' Uncle Harry was seated in one of the front pews opposite the Wizengamot, chatting in low, serious tones to a man who Scorpius at first assumed to be a fellow Auror. It was only when Draco spotted him that he murmured to Scorpius that the man was the prosecuting attorney for the Ministry, Ernie Macmillan, and he was also a former Hogwarts student. Draco also added in undertone that Lucius hadn't been able to afford a private defence lawyer for all of his assets had been frozen since he had been arrested. He had a Ministry defence lawyer on his behalf, as was necessary by law, though Draco doubted he would offer very much in the way of assistance to him, not given Lucius' reputation.

Scorpius was instantly assured at the presence of the serious looking prosecutor, for he had heard of Macmillan in his History of Magic lessons- the man had been a member of Dumbledore's Army with Roses' mum and dad, and clearly was a man who wanted justice. He also recalled seeing him on a chocolate frog card at some point. Mr Potter looked up then as if sensing he was being watched and caught his eye, casting him a kind smile.

"You alright?" he mouthed, looking from Scorpius to Draco earnestly.

Scorpius nodded tentatively although Draco's expression was wobbly.

"It'll be ok," Harry mouthed solemnly as the doors to the judge's chambers cranked open and the remaining members of the Wizengamot filed into the vast room.

Scorpius gulped as the room silenced expectantly and only hoped that Mr Potter was right.

A small wooden door to the left of the witness box opened next and a stony-faced guard entered the room, flanking the platinum haired man behind him, dressed in striped robes and looking frail. Frailer than what he could ever remember seeing.

_Lucius... _

Scorpius hadn't known how he would feel upon seeing Lucius again and he found that as his grandfather clambered into the witness box closely watched by the lofty guard amid hushed whispers and jeers, he felt... nothing. Not even anger nor pity, just... numb as his father sat stiffly beside him, eyes also on fixed Lucius. This man had watched his mother die and done nothing to prevent it. This man still had inclinations to be a death eater... Scorpius wanted him to get what was coming to him yet a part of him was afraid to watch the proceedings.

Yet he had no choice.

As Lucius took his seat and bowed his head, the senior man of the Wizengamot banged his gavel and the room fell silent.

"Mr Macmillan, I ask you to now list the charges against Lucius Malfoy," the head man said firmly, "the Wizengamot is now in session."

"Lucius Malfoy, you are hereby charged with the manslaughter of Astoria Malfoy," Macmillan intoned like he had done this a thousand times before as he stood up and faced the man, "how do you plead?"

Lucius looked smug like always yet his face was also drawn and pinched and he looked like he'd lost weight, even under the thick prison garments he wore. "Not guilty."

Draco let out a pained exclamation of disbelief and Scorpius felt his heart sink as his eyes widened in amazement_; not guilty!_ How the hell could he deny causing his mum to fall? They'd argued! Everything was in that pensieve after all. He was only doing this to cause the two of them even more pain; the sick bastard got a kick out of it and obviously thrived on the drama. The case would _have_ to be brought before the jury and evidence now presented for both sides due to his "not guilty" plea. The sheer agony for him and his father would only be drawn out further. Scorpius clenched his fists in rage.

Even the watching jury looked surprised at his reticence, glancing at one another for they had not expected the senior Malfoy to deny his wrong doings. Macmillan looked down at the parchment before him and then cleared his throat, obviously astonished; "you are further charged with being an active death eater. How do you plead?"

Lucius looked a little less smug at this second charge; "not guilty."

"You are hereby charged with fraternising with former known death eaters with the intent to do harm onto others. How do you plead?"

"N—not guilty."

Scorpius' eyes drifted to the left of the courtroom where Harry Potter was sat, his arms folded as he eyed Lucius with visible distaste from his seat. If Mr Potter's eyes could have cast Lucius on fire, then they probably would have done.

"You are also charged with the offence of luring and coercing other wizards into the dark arts, including impressionable minors not of age in Britain and overseas. How do you plead?"

Lucius faltered for the first time now, his eyes drifting across to Scorpius, who refused to look away. He would not be cowed. He was here to seek justice for his mother and if his grandfather went down for other crimes, so be it. The most important thing was that Lucius was held accountable for all he had done. His grandfather actually looked away first, some of the fight seeming to fade from him as it dawned on him that everything, every wicked thing that he had ever done had been siphoned from his pensieve to be used against him today. "I—not guilty," he said, less firmly still, his shoulders slumping marginally as they seemed to as each terrible accusation was hurled at him.

"You are hereby charged with consorting with the recently arrested Randolph Aggart, headmaster of the Debrange Dark Arts Academy- a known death eater- and chairing the meetings of Dark Arts organisations at said Academy. How do you plead?"

"I---"

Macmillan didn't give Lucius time to respond this time. He lifted his eyes from the faded parchment suddenly and Scorpius watched them link with Harry's across the room. Harry gave a very tiny almost imperceptible nod as Macmillan voiced the final damning accusation, his voice rising dangerously and his demeanor changing completely. Suddenly Scorpius could see exactly why he had been a member of Dumbledore's Army; "Lucius Malfoy, you are lastly hereby charged with attempting to complete the work started by Voldemort more than twenty years ago, including the torture and baiting of muggle-borns and half bloods in the most despicable of ways." The voice boomed around the courtroom dramatically, as the man paused, giving time for his words to sink in to the watchers. Furious chatter broke out in the room and the head of the Wizengamot banged his gavel in annoyance, trying to silence those present, but speculation was already filtering through everyones minds. Macmillan had gotten the message across.

Scorpius and Draco's eyes widened in shock at the last alleged crime. _Torture of muggle borns? Completing what Voldemort started? _Dear god, the senior Malfoy was even more unhinged than they had ever thought- he wasn't _just_ fraternising with death eaters, this was trying to complete Voldemort's legacy no less and it had been going on for years. To think that he had tried to drag Scorpius into it…

"How do you plead?" Macmillan continued sternly.

"I---" Lucius began in a small voice, less confident than Scorpius had ever heard him now.

"May I remind you, Mr Malfoy," Macmillan cut in majestically again, with another glance at Harry, "to think _very _carefully about your next words. Infact, the evidence against you is damning enough as it is. Should this farce actually go to a full trial then the outcome will be even less pleasant for you as it drags on. I will make sure of it. We have seen the pensieve, Mr Malfoy. I am fully aware that you want your final fifteen minutes of fame, but where _you_ are going there will be no time for celebrity and infamy."

His words were chilling and even Scorpius shuddered but the effect on Lucius was dramatic. He paled and then sagged to his knees, startling the guard beside him. "Gods, please don't send me back there!" he suddenly burst out, shaking. "Please---"

"He's lost it," Scorpius whispered, tilting his head close to his father's. Draco could only nod wordlessly; still stunned at everything that had been brought up.

But there was more to come however. One final attempt at vengeance almost as if he sensed he was going down. Lucius wanted to take people with him.

Lucius now turned his face to look at Draco from the witness box. "My own son used the cruciatus on me," he whispered hoarsely, though his words were filled with spite and his eyes flashed with bitterness, "and I had to face his wrath, do you not think I've suffered enough? He would have killed me."

There was a deadly silence throughout the Wizengamot as all eyes fell upon Draco now, some accusing, others sympathetic. Scorpius went pale. His dad had used an unforgiveable on Lucius? That was also punishable by a stint in Azkaban. His stomach lurched at the thought that his dad could be taken from him again. _No, please no…_

"Dad?" Scorpius whispered weakly, hoping he'd deny it. Not that he could blame him for using a crucio- Scorpius would have as well, if he could.

Draco opened his mouth but a calm voice spoke up from the tiered seats before he could say a word. "That's a lie."

All eyes fell on the speaker who was defending Draco so adamantly: Harry James Potter.

Draco's eyes widened incredulously at the staunch declaration. Scorpius felt even sicker.

Harry stood now and cast a disgusted eye over Lucius, for he was not the worlds most famous auror for nothing and he'd be damned if he'd let Lucius play this little charade any further, not when he was on the verge of making him pay at last; "this man," he began in a commanding voice, pointing to Lucius as he left his seats and strode down to the floor in front of the entire Wizengamot, "has murdered in cold blood and gotten away with it countless times over. He has caused the death of his daughter-in-law, caused his family to suffer and has even tried to continue the evil work of Tom Riddle. I am not the only one to have seen into his pensieve and I feel it is _preposterous_ that he even gets the chance to deny his guilt and the notion of a jury finding him innocent when the evidence against him is so clear. He should be sentenced without question. Are we to believe _anything_ he says when trying to push accusations onto others?" He approached the witness box and Scorpius noticed the way Lucius cowered under Harry's malevolent gaze. He heard his father breathe out, shocked by the events.

"Change your pleas, _all_ of them," Harry said softly, his voice somehow deadly as he faced Lucius, "and make it easier for yourself and your family if you care about them at all, because god help me, if _I _have to testify you won't like what I have to say or do, and yes, that is a threat, Lucius."

Lucius lifted his head weakly, his eyes meeting Draco's and drifting to Scorpius once more.

"They despise you," Harry hissed, green eyes glinting. "They'll never forgive you. Even your own wife couldn't stand to be here today, you've shamed her so much. They want you locked up."

Lucius' knees sagged and his voice caught desperately, he was now a shell of a man, his power literally drained and looking weak and he knew with a finality that he had lost. "Please don't send me to Azkaban!" he burst out.

"Are you now admitting your guilt in all the accused crimes?" Macmillan asked him triumphantly, as Harry stepped backwards, eyeing him sceptically as if fearing he would change his mind.

After a moment's pause, Lucius nodded mutely. When he spoke, his voice cracked; "just not Azkaban, not back there… please."

"I wouldn't dream of sending you _there_," the head of the Wizengamot suddenly spoke up for the first time since he had instructed the hearing to begin and looked speculatively at the defendant over the top of his glasses.

Lucius' shoulders lifted and he looked suddenly triumphant once more. Scorpius' heart sank and he felt his father tense beside him. _Please no. Don't let him weasel his way out of this one…_

The man cracked his wooden gavel hard to the bench before him and when he spoke again, his voice echoed dramatically around the courtroom; "Lucius Malfoy as you have admitted your crimes there is no need to review the evidence and continue this ridiculous charade any longer; I hereby sentence you to life imprisonment in HMP Ashworth Prison, Liverpool. I feel incarcaration there is suitable punishment for your misdeeds."

The stunned silence that met the man's words was palpable.

_A muggle prison_. One of Britain's most notoriously violent muggle prisons at that. Even Scorpius and Draco had heard of it through muggle newspapers and exchanged looks of incredulity at the unimaginable sentencing, their muscles practically liquefying with relief. Lucius Malfoy was to be incarcerated in a _muggle prison_. The irony was laughable, if they'd been in any mood for laughter. He wouldn't last five minutes in there. Only there was more to come...

"I also hereby drain you of all of your magic," the head man continued, "you are to be stripped of all your powers and rendered a squib. This should have happened a long time ago..."

Lucius' eyes widened in furious sheer horror, his mouth dropped open but all that came out was a dumbstruck croak, as all around him gasps of astonishment filled the room and triumphant whispers broke out. Thick iron shackles appeared on both Lucius' wrists and around his ankles, causing him to stumble, but a smirking Harry was quick to drag him to his feet. Justice at last.

"Take him away, Potter…" Macmillan said, and now _he_ was the one looking smug.

Harry and Lucius vanished with a loud crack and Scorpius and Draco sank back into their seats feeling drained and shell-shocked as they exchanged pensive glances. It was over just like that. It was all over.

**HPHPHPHPHP**

Rose had been fretting about what was happening at the trial all afternoon, barely able to concentrate in lessons for a change. She'd had a near miss in Potions and in Arithmancy had been unable to focus; she'd just been so worried about Scorpius.

It was almost five o'clock and the students were about to head to dinner in the great hall. Meera was due to begin prefect patrol afterwards but the group of friends were now gathered in the quad, chatting under the flickering lanterns and wondering at the outcome of the trial. Truthfully, they'd all been worried about Scorpius and hoped that if Lucius was incarcerated that it would provide him with some kind of closure.

"What else do you think was in that pensieve?" Phillius asked uncertainly. "Rose, your uncle's seen into it, hasn't he?"

Rose smiled primly, not wanting to gossip or speculate; "he hasn't told me the contents and I don't even want to imagine," she admitted, "it was bad enough what Scorpius' dad saw in there. I really don't want to think about the rest of it. I just hope he gets found guilty. Anyway, can we change the subject?"

Lysander saw that she was growing upset and tactfully began an intensive discussion on Hagrid's latest batch of bowtruckles with Meera and Albus, not missing the grateful look she cast him as she opened her French textbook and Phillius and Lorcan began a game of Gobstones.

Lysander, Meera and Albus stopped chatting a few minutes later however and Rose looked from her textbook at the sudden silence, following their eyeline as the game of Gobstones halted. Scorpius was stood in the stone archway to the quad, his face paler than usual and his grey eyes seeming enormous in his drawn face, his robes looking dishevelled. "Scorp..?" Rose asked worriedly, wondering at the outcome of the days events.

Scorpius suddenly smiled. It was a slow, relieved smile that crept across his face and told her that everything was going to be alright. "It's all over," he told the group as a whole, though his eyes never left Roses'.

"Over?" Rose repeated hesitantly as she stood up, self-consciously straightening a crooked knee sock and brushing grass stains from her robes.

"He changed his plea," Scorpius informed them, breathing out and colour returning to his cheeks; "after all the charges being read out, the prosecutor frightened him with mentions of punishment and he cracked. The pensieve memories were overwhelming evidence enough and I think he finally realised it. Not to mention all the _other_ purported crimes the Auror's had evidence of, _besides_ my mum apparently. You should have heard the charges. I expect you'll read it all in the Prophet tomorrow." He didn't divulge any of the crimes but Rose could only imagine what the senior Malfoy had been responsible for in her darkest nightmares.

"His colleague at the school in Holland," Scorpius continued, "it's actually some kind of headquarters for illicit death eater activity, apparently- the polar opposite of Grimmauld Place I expect. It's a notorious haunt for those death eaters never rounded up after the war where they 'celebrate' Voldemort believe it or not. Lucius has been flooing across there for years. The headmaster there has been arrested too and all those found to be involved are to be tried for deliberate coercion of wizards into the dark arts and muggle baiting and torture, amongst other things. I'm not the only kid they tried to lure into that place. Their intention was to finish off what Voldemort started so long ago with a new era of death eaters."

The others exchanged awkward glances; "you had a lucky escape there, mate," Lorcan spoke up finally, a master for stating the obvious.

"Not half," Scorpius agreed blithely. He didn't tell them about his dad allegedly using the crucio, about the accusations or the rigmarole in court- he'd tell Rose later but for now he was keeping quiet.

Rose was eyeing him doubtfully. "And Lucius?" she prompted tentatively.

"A muggle prison," Scorpius answered quietly as everyone gasped in shock at the imagery _that_ connotated, "with absolutely no prospect of parole. He'll die in there unless he gets lynched first. They've taken his magic away." The young wizard just didn't know how to feel though. He had expected to feel some sort of relief or vague happiness that his grandfather had had his just deserts and would die a very lonely man in a cold prison cell surrounded by his hated muggles, but he just felt… numb. He _did_ feel vindicated on behalf of his mother however, that was the most important thing of all. He expected the other emotions would hit him later on.

Rose being Rose, seemed to sense _exactly_ how lost he was feeling. "Want a hug?" she proffered sweetly, her blue eyes empathic.

"Yes, please," Scorpius answered a bit too quickly, easily falling into her embrace and feeling her slender arms creep around his waist, inhaling the clean apple scent of her shampoo.

The closely entwined pair never even noticed their friends exchanging astonished glances as identical looks of dawning comprehension simultaneously flittered across all of their faces.

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **Sorry this took a little bit longer to get up than planned, but hopefully you think it was worth the wait- real life got in the way for a couple of days (I went up to beautiful Edinburgh and it was FREEZING!) -- Apologies :)


	20. Love, lies and another little wager

**Love, lies and another little wager**

**Disclaimers: **See ch1

* * *

"Rose...?" Scorpius' voice was tentative.

"Mmmm...?" she looked up from her thick book from where she was curled up on the settee in front of the fireplace, looking snug in a purple woolley jumper emblazoned with her initials- a Molly Weasley special. The Ravenclaw common room was practically empty by now and Scorpius had waited up late too- even though he was both emotionally and physically exhausted after that day's harrowing events- just so he could talk to his best friend in private. Lysander had gone to bed hours ago, but not before casting Scorpius a cryptic look that had caused him to flush down to the very soles of his feet. _Lysander knew, _Scorpius kept thinking bleakly. Merlin! Still, as long as he was the only one who guessed Scorpius' fast developing feelings for Rose, Scorpius knew he'd be fine. At least he hoped so anyway. Lysander wasn't one to gossip after all.

"Are you busy?" he asked her awkwardly, hesitantly sitting down beside her. He always hated to disturb her when she was reading for fun and looking so peaceful, she spent so much of her time working hard after all, especially just lately when she'd been concentrating so hard on her studies as well as her French grammar- though some of her pronunciation was _still_ diabolical to say the least. Scorpius could always tell when she was reading for pleasure though, even without looking at the title of whatever she was holding in her hand- her freckled brow always relaxed and a half smile curled at her lips.

Rose obligingly slid a tatty bookmark between the well-thumbed pages and closed her book. It was 'Wuthering Heights' tonight, another muggle classic he noticed with a wry smile now. Romance too, no doubt. "I'm not busy," she said simply, sincerely, "what's up, Scorp? You've look like you wanted to chat all night. I was waiting up just in case you wanted to talk without too many other people around."

The notion warmed him and caused a spark of pleasure to build in his stomach, she knew him better than anybody else, truly she did.

Scorpius cast a quick look over his shoulder just to make sure nobody else was in earshot. The only other Ravenclaw students still up, were some seventh year students busy cramming for their N.E.W.T.S in the far corner and they paid them no heed. The Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests were definitely living up to their name, if the students' terse expressions were anything to go by now as they buried their noses in their books and scribbled frantically on the parchments before them. Their faces looked lined with exhaustion but they worked busily, completely absorbed in what they were doing. Scorpius got the impression that a hippogriff could rampage through the tower and they probably wouldn't notice or even hear it.

"My dad…" he began ultra-quietly, still wary of anyone overhearing them, "he—he cast a crucio on Lucius-- the night he found the memories of my mum in the pensieve."

Roses' eyes widened in shock at the revelation. "Merlin!" she exclaimed and then lowered her voice to a hushed whisper. ever conscious that they weren't entirely alone. "_Merlin_…I mean, not that I blame him Scorp, gods, _anybody_ would have done the same in that position… how in Hades name did you find _that_ out?"

"Lucius, he—he raised it in court today," Scorpius told her grimly, his attractive face marred with a scowl of outrage though he was pleased that she too empathised with his fathers predicament, "I think he thought that if _he_ was going down, he was going to take my dad down with him. One last chance to hurt him- and _me_ because he didn't get what he wanted by recruiting me to Aggart's crusade. I could tell straight away though that my dad _did_ cast the unforgiveable and he even admitted it to me when the trial was all over this afternoon. He seemed really ashamed, almost as if he thought I'd be disappointed in him or something."

"Lucius is such--such a bastard!" Rose hissed furiously, still quite unable to believe the full extent of the senior Malfoy's spite.

"Your Uncle Harry stuck up for my dad in the courtroom," Scorpius admitted quietly though a smile pulled grudgingly at his lips as he vividly recalled the dramatic scene of earlier that day, "he said that basically Lucius was lying, even though my dad confessed to me that your uncle walked in on my dad actually casting the curse."

"Uncle Harry lied to the Wizengamot?" Rose asked in utter astonishment. "Wow…"

"That's what I thought," Scorpius said with a smile. "It's a bit weird to think he'd defend my dad like that. I think my dad was really shocked by it too. He was so gobsmacked he couldn't even speak- that's a first, believe me."

"Nice of Uncle Harry to stick up for him though," Rose said frankly, wholeheartedly proud of her uncle. He might have lied, but he'd definitely done the right thing. Lies were only wicked when they hurt somebody- sometimes they could be a good thing, as in this instance. Draco Malfoy had been saved from an impending punishment, which was certainly a more preferable outcome than it could have been and Scorpius had his father back- for good.

"I wish my mum could have seen it," Scorpius told her quietly, knowing it was a futile wish, "all those times when she came with dad to watch me play quidditch in the first and second year… she encouraged dad to at least say something to _your _mum and dad so many times… I think she would have been pleased to know that the grudges have been forgotten, though it's taken long enough."

"I do too," Rose agreed heartily. "And do you know what else? She'd be so proud of you, Scorp."

Scorpius brightened. "You think?"

"Without a doubt," Rose said simply. She was glad to see that smile on his face, she'd missed it incredibly of late.

"What do you think happens… when we die?" Scorpius asked her tentatively, "I mean, some people like Peeves or the Bloody Baron stay around as ghosts… but my mum didn't. She just—left." He tried not to let his voice sound stung, but it was something he'd always wondered about. Why couldn't his mum have stuck around too? Even if she'd been a ghost, she still would have been there. It would have been better than nothing at least.

"I think ghosts have unfinished business," Rose replied carefully, sensing his hurt and line of thinking and treading carefully, "I think with your mum, she went onto something else. She just knew that eventually you and your dad would be ok."

"An after-life?" Scorpius asked her, interested in what she was getting at. It wasn't something they'd discussed before and the two of them talked about everything.

"I think the world and the way it works is so complicated, it would be a shame to think that this-" Rose gestured around herself with a wave of her hand; "-is _it_. I like the concept that there's something much more to come. For everybody."

The idea gave him great comfort all of a sudden and he cast her a small smile of agreement, as he knew with an unfailing certainty that his mum _had _gone on to something better and that he could say goodbye to her with that assurance at last; "I think so too."

**HPHPHPHPHP**

"You lied for me, Potter." Draco's face was the epitome of shock and disbelief as he apparated into Harry's office early the next morning, the day after Lucius' trial had ended.

"Merlin on a splintered broomstick!" Harry jumped five feet in the air at his sudden appearance, upsetting several piles of paperwork stacked haphazardly on his messy desk and almost upsetting his ink pot in the process, "gods Malfoy, don't _do_ that!"

"Sorry," Draco replied, his usual smirk amiss as he rightened the spilled papers with a genial flick of his wand. Without asking, he sat down in the chair opposite Harry's desk, his pointed face analytical and wondering as he regarded the Auror contemplatively. "Why?" It was a question that had been plaguing him all night- he'd barely slept, even with his son's adamant assurance that he was proud of him and that _he'd_ have cast a crucio on his grandfather too if he could- or much worse. Draco still hadn't been able to admit he'd been about to cast the Avada Kedavra though- he truly didn't know how his son would respond to that much honesty. Maybe he'd confess all when Scorpius was older and in a position to better understand Draco's judgement the evening he'd found the pensieve memories.

Harry tilted his head appraisingly as he set down his quill; "I did it for Scorpius and for you," he said simply. "I know what it's like to grow up without a mother, Malfoy. I didn't want the kid to lose his father as well."

"But—but you lied for me in front of the entire Wizengamot!" Draco spluttered incredulously, "honestly Potter, of all the idiotic, stupid---"

"I discredited Lucius," Harry said mildly as he straightened his glasses, "and it wasn't a lie. I truly don't think you would have killed him in the end. You _may_ have cast the crucio-which he deserved, even the jury couldn't have denied that though they might have tried punishing you for it- but deep down I really think that you would have stopped before actually finishing that Avada Kedavra off."

Draco wasn't so sure- remembering now how incredibly furious he'd been at the time he doubted he'd have stopped for anything. Seemingly Potter had more faith in him than he had in _himself_ but he could think of nothing else to say except; "thank you."

"You're quite welcome," Harry replied matter of factly, his green eyes twinkling.

"Is that something you learn?" Draco asked, very randomly.

"What?" Harry asked cluelessly, raking a hand through his messy hair in confusion and sitting back in his seat.

"That eye twinkling thing- did Dumbledore teach you that?" Draco asked, though there was no venom in his voice- quite the opposite in fact, he appeared almost amused, "it's quite disturbing Potter. You really are sickeningly jolly; it must be down to the Weaslette and your merry brood of children." His eyes unwittingly drifted to the multiple photographs propped up on Potter's desk- the Potter clan looked incredibly happy and younger versions of the children waved up at him at a miniature Ginny's encouragement from the polished silver frames. He made a little face, though it was absent of his usual derision. He and Astoria would have simply loved to give Scorpius a brother or sister, but unfortunately it had never happened.

Harry smirked now and it was decidedly more Slytherin than Gryffindor. "I'll admit it about Dumbledore, if you agree that _Snape_ taught you that whole swirling of the robes and striding off thing. I _always_ wanted to learn how to do that, even if it did make him look like a big overgrown bat."

"No deal," Malfoy responded haughtily, though a grin lifted his own mouth at the memories of his late godfather, a man who Potter had finally came to appreciate, though unfortunately when it was much too late. The bloke had had quite a good sense of humour actually- sarcastic but Draco certainly appreciated sarcasm. He would have loved for Scorpius to have known him, particularly given his sons aptitude for potions. Then he sobered up quickly; "what—what happened after you left the courtroom, Potter? With—Lucius I mean?"

"He was a bit pissed off- and that's putting it politely," Harry revealed, remembering the way Lucius had screamed bloody murder and tried to attack him before Harry had stunned him. "I took him to one of the interrogation rooms and then I stripped him of his magic."

Draco listened half fearfully, half in awe to the matter of fact tone. He'd known Potter was powerful, had witnessed it first hand on many occaisions, particularly during the Battle of Hogwarts, but for him to have the ability to strip someone of his magical powers with a mere wave of a wand… As a wizard he could imagine a lot of bad things, he'd certainly _lived_ through a lot of bad things, but losing ones magic and being rendered a squib was definitely horrific.

"Then what?" Draco asked, meeting the Gryffindors eyes.

"I apparated us to Merseyside," Harry informed him, "he was weak, obviously and in complete shock I imagine- I expect to lose ones power is quite a draining exercise after all. One of the Auror's had access to an official prison van- his wife's a muggle-born see, works in Ashworth as a matter of fact. We bundled Lucius up inside, dressed as prison wardens- not a recommended attire for any wizard- and drove him to the jail. Told the warden there he was being incarcerated indefinitely for murder and torture and left him to be processed- we had forged paperwork to fool the muggles and it'll work. He was screaming his head off as we drove away. They'll probably put him in the psychiatric ward to be evaluated before they do anything, he was certainly acting crazy enough."

"And the death eater associates?" Draco asked hopefully. "Aggart?"

"The headmaster of the dark arts academy is due to stand trial any day now, but it's a pretty open and shut case," Harry responded levelly, "I reckon _he'll_ just be sentenced to Azkaban though- Lucius' punishment was one of a kind."

"Oh, it was certainly _that_," Draco admitted wryly. "And the others?"

"The Auror's are globe trotting as we speak, trying to round the rest of them up," Harry concluded with satisfaction as he folded his arms, "most of them were identified in the pensieve memories and were already suspected to be dabbling in the dark arts anyway- they won't get far now we have proof to detain them all indefinitely. I suspect the Wizengamot will be incredibly busy in the upcoming months putting them all to trial."

Draco settled back in the chair reservedly; "I can't believe it's really over- after everything. Scorp and I can start getting our lives back together. At last. I owe you big time, Potter."

"You don't owe me anything," Harry said levelly, "he's a good kid. Rosie thinks the world of him."

Draco smirked; "_does_ she now_?_" he asked thoughtfully.

Harry knew then and there that Scorpius obviously felt something for his niece too; "do you want to be the one to tell Ron, or can I do it?" he joked with unsuppressed amusement, imagining the look on his best friends face.

"Potter, I insist _I_ be the one," Draco said adamantly; "I wouldn't miss the expression on Weasels face for all the galleons in Gringotts." Then he sighed dejectedly; "I expect he already _knows_, doesn't he? Young love- it's blatantly obvious to everyone except the people in question."

"They'll work it out soon enough," Harry deduced, though he wasn't so sure in Rosies' case, his niece took after her father in that respect.

"I reckon my son already _has _worked it out," Draco informed him blithely, "he's been on another planet since the end of the last summer holidays. That first day at the Burrow- when he caught sight of Rose..." Draco's face softened immeasurably; "he looks at her the way I used to look at my wife."

"Would it bother you, Rose and Scorpius?" Harry prodded interestedly, feeling touched by the other mans sentiment, "together?"

"Not in the slightest," Draco said honestly and not for the first time, Harry believed him.

**HPHPHPHPHP**

"Why did we never realise?" Meera asked as she strolled through the quaint cobbled backstreets of Hogsmeade with Lorcan, the Saturday following the Malfoy trial. It was a beautiful spring day- the weather was crisp and biting but a pale sun hung high in the sky, half hidden behind a fluffy white cloud. The two of them were well bundled up with woollen scarves and gloves against the chill, but Meera simply longed for the summer to approach.

"Realise what?" Lorcan asked absently, pausing to gaze into the window of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes (II), the second branch of the magic and joke shop that George Weasley had opened, following the success of the twins' Diagon Alley store. Lorcan loved that place- he couldn't resist checking out the new merchandise whenever he passed, as far as he was concerned; George and the late Fred Weasley were his idols. He'd give absolutely _anything_ to work for the company, especially since- rumour had it- another shop was due to be opened in bustling Edinburgh early next year.

"About Scorpius and Rose!" Meera said excitedly, slipping her arm through his, "I think it's incredibly romantic, don't you?"

Lorcan shrugged; "they just hugged." At Meera's incredulous expression he grinned and conceded; "alright, _and_ Scorp had an incredibly sappy expression on his face. Nothing's going to happen though. Scorpius is too shy to tell her how he really feels, 'specially since he hasn't had a girlfriend before. He's _rubbish_ at talking to girls."

"What's your wager on that?" Albus appeared behind them, Phillius in tow as he stuffed some chocolate frogs in his mouth. "I reckon Scorpius _might_ just tell her, you know. We all saw his face yesterday afternoon." He clasped his hands to his chest and fluttered his eyelashes; "hug me! Oooh, _yes, please_!" he teased with a grin, his green eyes sparkling merrily.

"No chance!" Lysander remarked next, emerging from the old-fashioned sweetshop opposite and munching on some pepper imps; "he'll bottle it. Not to have lack of faith in my best mate or anything but Rose is clearly far too important to him for him to muck it all up."

"You can't _seriously_ be considering betting on how long it takes Rose and Scorpius to get together," Meera protested indignantly as if the very idea of placing a wager on her friends' happiness was just abhorrent to her.

"I'm up for that," Lorcan said decisively, fumbling in his pocket for some knuts and galleons. "Why not?"

"Ten galleons says they'll be a couple by the end of the year," Phillius said hopefully, valiantly searching for change.

"Nah, it'll take WAY longer than that," Lorcan said decisively; "Thirty five says it'll be after graduation."

"We could always give them a gentle push…" Meera said slyly, looking in her own pockets and finally giving in.

"Meera!" Albus looked shocked, "no interference. This is a _bet_. Besides, don't forget that Rosie's applying to a university in Paris… I agree with Lor, it's definitely going to take a while."

"Fine!" she said crossly, "I just wanted to be a matchmaker."

"Matchmaker for whom?"

The group of friends jerked their heads up guiltily as Rose and Scorpius emerged from around the corner ahead of them, both toting paper bags full of quills and parchment from Schrivenshaft's and eyeing them curiously. The group of students exchanged knowing glances wondering exactly _what_ they'd overheard- if anything, though all were pleased to see that Scorpius did indeed appear to be much brighter now that Lucius' trial was finally over. He seemed much more relaxed- at peace they supposed, though they knew undoubtedly that Rose was playing a big part in his happier mood.

"Can anyone say 'over achievers?'" Albus teased as he gestured to the bags, though there was no malice in his voice as he tried to change the subject hoping Scorpius would forget what they were talking about; "please tell me you aren't buying all that for revision for your O.W.L.S! They're still three months away for Merlin's sake."

"It never hurts to be prepared," Rose retorted primly, in a voice scarily reminiscent of his Aunt Hermione. "It might do _you_ good to apply yourself a bit more to your studies, Al. Infact---"

"I'm sorry I spoke," Albus grumbled under his breath as the others snickered.

"Matchmaker for whom?" Scorpius repeated again, looking interested at the tale-end of the conversation he'd just overheard and noticing Roses' disgruntled expression.

"Um…" Lorcan looked panicked to be put on the spot, "um…"

"For Hugo," Meera blurted out as she twisted a silky strand of dark hair around her graceful fingers; "poor boy's _still_ hung up on me apparently, so we thought we'd try and help get him a girlfriend…."

"Of his _own age_," Lorcan groused, seemingly not impressed by his girlfriend's flash of brilliance, for Hugo didn't exactly make it subtle in his admiration of her and it wound Lorcan up no end.

"Yeah, that's it!" Albus enthused. "Hugo. Exactly. Who _else_ would we be talking about? Hahaha." He laughed nervously and Phillius joined in, both looking decidedly shifty. Lysander rolled his eyes at their evident lack of tact _and_ bad acting and shoved another pepper imp in his mouth. _He_ for one was saying nothing. He knew Rose and Scorpius would eventually work things out in their own time, no matter how long it took.

Rose and Scorpius exchanged bemused looks, wondering if their friends had inadvertently been inhaling confundus potions, for their behaviour was decidedly strange today to say the least. "Weird. Ok, well we're off to the bookshop," Scorpius announced, shaking his head for he certainly wasn't interested in Roses' little brother's _love life_. "Anyone else want to come along?"

"That's ok," Meera chirped brightly. "You two go and enjoy yourselves, _alone_! Take all the time you need!"

"We will," Rose replied, eyeing her strangely once more as the pair of them walked down the alley way, heads close together as usual as they chatted and walking barely a foot apart.

"No interfering!" Albus hissed indignantly once they'd gone, elbowing her.

"I wasn't," Meera protested vehemently, "I was just—"

"_Matchmaking_," Lorcan couldn't help laughing as they walked into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, the door opening and announcing their arrival with a loud, appreciative burp; "and there'll be none of _that,_ either!"

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **Wow, it feels weird not to be writing loads of angst for a change! This was something of a "filler chapter" in case you couldn't guess but I hope you liked it anyway and the next chapter will be longer. I just felt it relevant to have some sort of Rose/Scorp conversation following the end of the trial, same with Harry and Draco. Thanks again to all those who are reviewing- especially the anonymous reviewers who I can't reply to personally. :)

_Next chapter- _We jump forwards to the end of the **sixth year** and Scorpius decides what he wants to do with his life; also there's a broken heart on the horizon…


	21. Our so called lives

**Our so-called lives**

**Disclaimer: **See ch1.

* * *

**June ****2021;**

"I hate him! I bloody _hate_ him!"

Rose looked up from her Potions textbook in complete alarm as Meera burst into the Ravenclaw dormitory late one Tuesday afternoon, tears streaming down her face, her lips wobbling uncontrollably. "I hate him!" she yelled again dramatically, clearly not caring _who_ heard her shouts. Luckily, Rose was the only sixth year student present but she voiced enough concern for several other girls.

"Gods, Meera, what on earth's the matter?" she asked frantically, casting the book to her bedside table, jumping up and instantly rushing to her friend's side.

The other girl threw herself on her cluttered bed in a whirl of robes and limbs, burying her face in her pillow and pummelling it hard, shoving a mountain of clothes viciously out of the way. "Mmmph…mrmem…meh," was what it _sounded_ like she said.

Roses' eyebrow raised dubiously, her freckled face etched in concern; "Meera, you might need to repeat that."

Meera lifted her head, gulping in air and trying to get a hold of herself; "Lorcan… he… he just broke up with _me_!" she spluttered almost hysterically, before breaking into fresh wails and burying her pretty face in her pillow once more.

Roses' blue eyes widened in both alarm and shock, uncertain as to whether she had just heard her correctly or not, as she sat down beside Meera, placing a comforting hand on her arm. Lorcan and Meera… _over?_ They were the golden couple of the school, for Merlin's sake! They'd been going out since… well, forever! If _Meera_ got dumped, well quite frankly, there was no hope for Rose of ever having a boyfriend. Sweet sixteen and she'd _still_ never been kissed.

"Oh Meera," Rose just didn't know what to say as she bit her fingernail tersely, realising words of comfort seemed futile when Meera was obviously so distraught, "I'm so sorry…"

Meera sobbed broken-heartedly, her shoulders shaking, "he—he said he needed to concentrate on his career---" she sniffled as she recalled the conversation she'd just had with the Scamander twin in the grounds, "with his new job at Weasley's coming up next year--- he said he doesn't think he's going to have _time_ for a girlfriend anymore…"

"Oh," Rose said, beyond surprised that Lorcan had given thought to anything other than his social life and having fun for a change; "I see."

The impulsive, daring Scamander twin, who had spent most of his six years so far at Hogwarts purchasing goods from her Uncle George's shop and using them on both the students and teachers (and also Peeves on occasion), had impressed her Uncle with his tenacity and pranking knowledge the previous May after encountering him in the Hogsmeade store the Saturday after Lucius Malfoy's trial. Her uncle had given him his business card and said that if he was interested in furthering his familiarity with the shop's merchandise, then to contact him. Lorcan had evidently done so, for three months later, George had offered him a job at the shop, upon his graduation from Hogwarts, which was to take place in less than a year now.

Rose still found it hard to believe that next July her Hogwarts education was to be over for good. The very thought filled her with incredible sadness though she _was_ highly excited about her future of course. She'd applied for a place at L'Institut Magique in Paris to study Potions and was waiting to hear from them for a preliminary acceptance, dependant on the outcome of next years N.E.W.T exams. She also had two back-up choices; L'Académie Magique d'Education in Lille and L'Académie de sorcellerie d'Excellence in beautiful Brittany. Admittedly, she wasn't quite as keen on the latter as it was an all girl's university, though her father much seemed to prefer that option.

Lorcan Scamander was, much to everyone's amusement however, going to be Weasley's Wizard Wheezes new Marketing Manager and Product Tester for their recently opened Edinburgh store. An ideal career for the mischief maker, granted and he was indeed incredibly lucky to have such a job option already open to him already instead of trying to fight his way into an already overcrowded apprenticeship at the Ministry, but Rose was now so sorry that her friend had been so hurt by Lorcan's admirable concentration on his burgeoning career.

Meera wiped her eyes and rubbed at her snotty nose, leaving a smear of sticky mascara over the back of her hand and black marks on her cheekbones like some sort of tribal war paint. "I love him!" she wailed valiantly with all the wisdom of a sixteen-year-old girl left broken-hearted for the very first time.

Rose just didn't know _what_ to say. Finally she managed a gentle smile as she pulled out a clean handkerchief and handed it to her friend; "go ahead and have a good cry," she urged softly, "that always makes _me_ feel better if I'm down. Then, after that we'll wander down to the kitchens and see if the house elves can give us some pumpkin ice-cream, alright? There's nothing better for heartbreak than calories my mum always says. Then after _that_, I'd recommend more crying and lots of chocolate. I have a stash of Honeydukes finest in my trunk- don't tell Lily. Afterwards, try not to think about him for no more than ten minutes a day- we have our final year at Hogwarts to enjoy in a few months, don't forget!" Not to mention N.E.W.T.S to concentrate on, though she didn't mention next year's exams to her friend. She got the definite impression Meera wouldn't appreciate _that_ kind of talk at the moment. Prefect or not.

Meera sniffled as she dried her eyes, feeling somewhat bad that she hadn't been there for Rose as much as she should have been lately- she'd been much too preoccupied with Lorcan,_ the big bloody git_; "thanks Rose," she said gratefully between choked sniffs.

Rose pulled her into a tight hug; "you're welcome."

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

As the end of the friends' sixth year at Hogwarts fast approached, Scorpius rapidly became aware that once he headed home for the summer holidays, his father would almost certainly turn his attentions to what he would be doing after his graduation next July. As it happened, Scorpius had a few ideas in mind, idea's he'd been liberally discussing with Rose for months on end now but plans he'd not yet voiced to his father. He honestly wasn't sure how Draco would take the ideas he had and his stomach welled with nerves whenever he thought of discussing them with him. Scorpius wasn't a procrastinator. Well, maybe he _was_ about certain things, but with good reason...

Much to the others chagrin, whilst Rose and Scorpius seemed closer than ever in their sixth year, their friendship had _still_ to blossom into anything more even though they spent practically all their time glued at the hip. It was rare that you saw one without the other anymore- even the teachers knew that if you found one, you would find the other and would have been rather funny had it not been so bloody infuriating to those around them; to Phillius especially, who suspected he would be losing money from the wager soon. The situation was causing the group no end of frustration actually, though as Lysander and Albus had both said, with Rose most likely off to university in Paris next year, it would be a while before anything would actually happen. Scorpius for the most part hadn't voiced his feelings for her yet and _if_ Rose felt the same (which they all suspected she _did_ and was just better at hiding it or maybe she just didn't realise) _she_ wasn't being particularly vocal about it either.

"Did you hear about Meera and Lorcan?" Rose asked Scorpius as she plopped down beside him at the table in the great hall at tea that evening. She was already stuffed full of butterscotch chocolate and pumpkin ice-cream and groaned as she surveyed the heaving dishes spread out before them, before helping herself to a very tiny piece of steak and kidney pie and one sole broccoli floret.

"What's up with you?" Scorpius asked incredulously, looking at the small morsel on her plate in disbelief. It wasn't like Rose not to scoff down steak and kidney pie and Hogwarts pie was brilliant- almost as good as his mum's had been.

"Break-up comfort food," Rose replied, pushing a forkful of pie crust around her plate and feeling decidedly sick. "I ate a _lot _of chocolate and ice-cream this afternoon. I probably won't sleep tonight with all the sugar."

"Meera and Lorcan broke up?" Scorpius asked with visible concern as he immediately caught on, his grey eyes startled by the news, "is she ok?"

Rose felt a tiny stab of jealousy welling up in her stomach all of a sudden, seeing his worried expression. Then she told herself she was merely being silly; it was probably just indigestion. What did _she_ care if Scorpius was worried about Meera? The two prefects were friends after all. And Scorpius was allowed to have other friends beside her, wasn't he? Girls as friends. Not girlfriends. So what if they spent a few nights a week patrolling the school together… alone…

Rose took a vicious bite of her pie, trying to calm down and quell her dangerous thoughts. "I _think_ she'll be fine," she reasoned trying to keep her voice deliberately neutral, "she just needs a good cry. She's up there charming Lorcan's head out of every photo she ever took of him at the moment though. It might take a while."

"Ah," Scorpius said appraisingly. His eyes flickered over to the Gryffindor table where Lorcan was sat eating his meal with Albus and Phillius. _He_ didn't look too cut up about the breakup, but Scorpius knew how much he was focusing on his job next year- he'd been talking about it for ages. Part of Scorpius admired him for wanting to concentrate on it so thoroughly but part of him suspected that the Gryffindor had been glad of the excuse of breaking up with Meera in the process- an act decidedly more Slytherin than his own house admittedly. Lorcan had confessed a few weeks ago that the new job meant everything to him and he didn't want _any_ distractions. Seemingly Scorpius' fellow prefect had been one of those distractions. The though saddened him for he knew that if it had been he and Rose in such a situation, he would have tried absolutely everything to balance the two fairly.

Scorpius sighed gloomily, doubting that would ever happen now. Every time he plucked up the courage to finally tell her how he was feeling, he chickened out or something got in the way. Well, mostly he chickened out if he was honest. He was a wimp, definitely.

Scorpius' eyes drifted further down the Gryffindor table to where Hugo was glaring menacingly at Lorcan as he ate his own meal, the redhead's blue eyes flashing mutinously. "Oh, your brother will be pleased that Meera's back to being a free agent I reckon."

"Yeah," Rose said agreeably; "I think he'd hex Lorcan if he could get away with it. Too many teachers around now though."

"Things are going to be awkward for a bit, aren't they?" Scorpius realised, "with Meera and Lorcan and the rest of us in the group…"

"Yes," Rose said with a frown, wondering why he seemed to be so bloody interested in _Meera_ all of a sudden. Why had he said her name first like that? What had made him mention her name rather than Lorcan's? Paranoia welled in her as she eyed him suspiciously.

Then it hit her. Rather like a bludger to the head.

Gods, what if he _fancied_ Meera? Rose thought wildly, the sudden panic rising in her chest and almost choking her as she set down her fork in horror. Not that she'd blame him if he did, Meera was sweet and pretty, but that would be positively unbearable to watch- Scorpius and her together. She could imagine it vividly. They'd hold hands and be kissing in the corridors...

Rose broke out into a cold sweat at the very thought of it, though she didn't know why. No, she couldn't let that happen. Definitely not. It was-- the principle of the thing! Yes, that was it.

The bloody principle.

_Rose_ had principles too and they certainly didn't involve seeing Meera and Scorpius together at any time in the near future.

The words were suddenly leaving her mouth before she was unable to stop them- cold and blunt, running away with her before her mind could fully catch up or even process what she was actually saying. "Well, that's exactly the reason why friends shouldn't go out with other _friends_. It destroys the harmony of _any_ group. Doesn't it?"

As she shovelled in another forkful of food, pleased and feeling proud she'd seemingly put him off asking _Meera _out should he have wanted to, she didn't even notice the stricken expression crossing Scorpius' face as he eyed her in silent disbelief.

**...**

"Are you alright, mate?" Lysander asked with concern as he entered the Ravenclaw boys' dorm late that evening, only to find Scorpius sat silently on his bed, gazing miserably into space in the half darkness. He'd been in a bit of a funny mood all evening actually, quiet and sullen- just not himself. He'd by-passed on the game of wizardopoly and hadn't even seemed interested in helping Rose with her French which was highly unusual. He'd merely brooded instead.

"I'm fine," Scorpius lied blithely.

"Yeah, I can see that's true," Lysander remarked, hunting in his drawer for some clean pyjamas and his toiletry bag. "What's up? Is it Rose?"

Scorpius flushed and looked down at his toes uncomfortably. "Sort of," he admitted awkwardly. "Um, in a manner of speaking I suppose."

Gods, this was like pulling teeth. Lysander eyed him with mild irritation, knowing he'd undoubtedly have to _drag_ the tale of sorry woe from him. "Sort of?" he echoed skeptically, sitting down on his own bed.

"Ok, it's Rose," Scorpius confessed in a rush, lowering his voice so none of the others in the room could hear him; "tonight-- she said that she didn't think it was a good idea for friends to go out with other friends, that's all. That it-- 'destroy's the harmony of a group,' that was what she said, the exact words she used."

Lysander was startled; "_Rose_ said that? What on earth brought that on?"

"We were talking at tea, you know, after Meera and Lorcan broke up," Scorpius reflected, "it was a bit strange actually, the way she just came out with it like that, but I just can't believe she thinks that at all! It just... threw me a bit I suppose."

Lysander was perplexed; "me either."

"I was-- thinking of telling her," Scorpius' ears were red with embarassment as he finally alluded to his feelings for Rose openly, "only I can't _now_, can I? Not after what she said. Merlin, I wish I wasn't so bloody rubbish with girls."

"It _would_ be a bit of a faux pas to come out and tell her now," Lysander agreed soberly, "I don't know why she said that either, but obviously she's wrong- I mean being friends first is the best basis for any relationship, isn't it? That's what I'd think anyway, though I don't know much about girls either. I'm usually too busy daydreaming to think about girls at all, actually."

Scorpius smiled genuinely at this and was reminded once more why Lysander was such a good friend of his- he was so down to earth and honest. "You've known for a while, haven't you? About me liking Rose I mean."

"Ages," Lysander said frankly, not bothering to hide his smug smile.

"What do _you_ reckon I should do?" Scorpius asked, hoping for some words of wisdom, suitable advice... anything. He'd take whatever he could get at the moment.

"If it was me," Lysander began, then hesitated uncertainly. Gods, this would no doubt incur the wrath of the others, especially with the little wager they had going on, but he truly didn't want his best mate looking like a fool by blurting out his true feelings. Not if Rose had stated point blank that she didn't think friends should get together. He imagined there was _some_ degree of logic behind her reasoning after all, but she and Scorpius were different, surely? They were closer than close. He'd ponder the theory another time.

"Yes...?" Scorpius prompted unsurely.

"I suppose I'd leave it for a while," Lysander said honestly; "mate, I'd have been all for you telling her before, honestly. We all probably would, but not with what Rose just said tonight, it sort of puts a downer on things and _you'll_ probably come out of it looking like an idiot in the long run."

"Oh..." Scorpius said pensively, then he sat up straighter replaying Lysander's words; "what do you mean, '_all_ probably would?!'"

Lysander smirked as he finally dropped the bombshell on the panic-stricken teen, "Scorp, it's hardly a secret, you liking Rose. Sorry mate, but whenever you look at her, it's written all over your face. You get this dopey smile and your eyes go all glazed, a bit like you're under the imperius or something. We've all known for ages. Admittedly, _I_ figured it out first, but now everyone knows. They worked it out when you hugged her after the trial last year. It was a bit too... friendly if you know what I mean."

Mortified, Scorpius put his head in his hands; "oh," he said weakly as his pale cheeks flooded with violent heat. Merlin, everyone knew! They had done for months and months! How utterly humiliating. He wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out again. So much for him being subtle.

"Well, everyone aside from Rose that is," Lysander added this helpfully as an afterthought though it didn't exactly reassure him, "I don't think she has a clue. Really Scorp, its fine. Don't worry."

"Yeah," Scorpius echoed bleakly as he closed his eyes and felt the waves of embarrassment wash over him, "_fine_. Of course it is."

**HPHPHPHPHP**

"Scorp?" Draco knocked gently on his son's bedroom door three days after the summer holidays began; "Scorp, can I come in?"

"Mmm hmm," Scorpius replied vaguely, completely absorbed in his textbook as he curled up on his bed, surrounded by scraps of parchment and worn- down quills. He was revising for his N.E.W.T.S already, determined to get in a good start- he'd seen how wrecked James Potter had been the term before and Scorpius like Rose, wanted to make a good headway into his revision. Maybe he was starting a bit early, admittedly, but revision was a welcome distraction from his never-ending thoughts about Rose. He still couldn't _believe_ that she didn't think friends should go out with other friends. In his opinion, friendship was the best foundation for any relationship, but seemingly Rose thought differently. Any thoughts that Scorpius had had of admitting his true feelings to her had been quickly dispelled, much as it pained him to go back to burying his head in the sand again and trying to ignore it.

Draco pushed open the door and had to smile at the utter bombsite that was his son's bedroom. Usually it was fairly tidy, but revision papers and practice exam questions littered both the floor and the bed, yet still none of them gave him a clue as to what his son was planning on doing after graduation next year. That was why Draco was here: he wanted to know his son's plans for the future. He'd held off discussing it for a while, not wanting to remind his son of the bitter arguments with Lucius over his schooling and future careers, but he wanted to know now. In less than a year's time Scorpius would be graduating from Hogwarts and he _still_ hadn't told his father what he wanted to do with his life.

He'd been remarkably secretive about the whole matter actually, though Draco sensed of course that he had some kind of plans, plans he'd probably discussed with Rose or Lysander in great depth actually. For his intelligent son, the possibilities for the future were endless, particularly since his exceptional O.W.L results the year before- Scorpius had gained "Outstandings" in all of his exams- and he was curious to know what Scorpius really wanted to do.

"Hi dad," Scorpius muttered distractedly, brushing his hair out of his eyes and leaving a big ink smear on his pale skin, which caused him to roll his eyes. "You alright?"

"I was more concerned about _you_," Draco sat down on the edge of the bed and cast a quick cleansing charm at his face, "Scorp, I wanted to talk to you about your plans after Hogwarts."

Scorpius set down his book and looked up at his dad, slightly fazed by his directness though he'd been expecting this of course. "Oh."

"I haven't wanted to push you," Draco began honestly; "the last thing I wanted you to think was that I was pressuring you or was in any way like—Lucius.." it still angered him to mention his fathers name even more than a year after the trials end and he unconsciously clenched his fists.

A small smile crept onto Scorpius' lips; "I know you aren't like him, dad," he said simply; "you can ask me stuff, don't worry about it. I don't mind."

Draco smiled with visible relief; "_do_ you know what you want to do, son?"

After a moment's pause, Scorpius slowly nodded, fiddling with the end of his bright blue quilt. Draco braced himself to hear it. He was beyond surprised when Scorpius ventured almost timidly; "I'd like to go to a muggle university and study chemistry there. One day I want to brew my own potions to send out via mail order, or run my own apothecary and I think it would be good to have a basis in muggle potions, as well as wizard ones. Some of them are really useful after all."

Scorpius ducked his head in awkward embarrassment after this long announcement, his shock of shaggy blond hair falling in his eyes. Draco sensed he was rather uncertain about the reaction to the revelation and had to smile at how alike they both were deep down. For all of his teenage years, Draco too had fought desperately to win his own fathers approval, even sacrificing his own happiness for that of his fathers. He knew that he would never ever make Scorpius feel the same way.

"I think that's a brilliant idea," he told his son honestly, glad he'd seemingly given it all some deep thought.

Scorpius lifted his head hopefully; "y—you do?" Relief shone in his eyes and his usually serious face lifted in a bright smile.

"I do," Draco confirmed, knowing that once upon a time, _that_ wouldn't have been his response to such a proposal. People changed and thankfully he himself had, for the better. "Have you looked into applying to any universities in particular? Is there anything I can do to help? I imagine time's ticking away if you want to get applications in, isn't it?"

"It's a bit problematic," Scorpius admitted, and to Draco's amusement, he reached under his bed and pulled out a thick wad of muggle university prospectus's which he dumped on the bed, prospectuses he'd _clearly_ been hiding. Draco had to wonder at Roses' input into all of this.

"Muggles have these exams called 'A2-Levels' which are sort of like N.E.W.T.S or O.W.L.S, without the magical aspect of course, but the application process is a bit bewildering. I've been reading up on it and it's _so_ confusing. Even _Rose_ thinks so," Scorpius paused for breath.

_I knew it, _Draco thought with amusement. Wait till he spoke with Potter about this.

"You need a certain amount of points to get into a specific university course and the points relate to those A-Level thingies. A particular grade is worth a certain amount of points. Kind of like 'O for outstanding' I think, but in muggle terms, an _A_ is brilliant!" He frowned, "I _think_ that's what I understand of the basic premise anyway. The only thing I'm not sure of is how to by-pass the muggle university acceptance system, being a wizard and all."

Draco ruffled his son's blond hair with a grin, absolutely fascinated by his son's vast knowledge and interest in muggles yet finding to his surprise that he didn't mind one little bit; "trust _you_ to be fifty steps ahead. Don't worry Scorp, you won't be the first wizard to study under muggles, I guarantee there's a way around it. Maybe I can even speak to McGonagall for you. She knows everything. We could even go and visit some of these universities if you want to this summer. Let you have a proper look to make an informed decision. I'm sure I can pretend to be a muggle for a couple of days at least, though their taste in fashion is somewhat dubious."

Scorpius smiled almost shyly; glad his father hadn't rejected his idea outrightedly as stupid and even more surprised he was willing to talk to McGonagall for him. That would be a big help, particularly if McGonagall knew some of the fellows at the universities he wanted to apply to or if there were indeed any wizards on the teaching staff there. He wasn't being big-headed but he hoped that he could successfully apply to either Oxford or Cambridge, England's oldest universities. They sounded positively brilliant. Rose had said he stood a really good chance of being accepted and the praise had made him happy. He was glad that she thought so.

"Most muggles start university when they're eighteen," he revealed now, in full flow with his idea and impassioned speech and wholly glad of his father's support too, "and I was thinking that I could maybe take a year out before I apply to my course and do some volunteer work overseas."

"Volunteer work? Overseas?" Draco was utterly astonished once more. At first his thought was that Scorpius wanted to go and join Rose in Paris, only he was surprised once more…

"Maybe in Africa?" Scorpius met his eyes hesitantly again- he _really_ wanted to go, almost as much as he wanted to go to University no matter how much he'd miss being away from Rose, but he was worried about leaving his dad alone in the house by himself for a whole year; "I was reading about how poverty is rife there and how muggles have really appalling living conditions. They live in shacks and tiny little huts and some of them don't even have any food or drinking water so—"

"Whoa!" Draco held up his hands with a good natured grin which allayed Scorpius' fears instantly; "let me get this right: _you_ want to go over to Africa and help out impoverished muggles?" his head was simply spinning at the revelation.

Scorpius nodded earnestly; "just for a year," he said quietly, feeling relieved; "if that's ok with you?"

Draco was startled by the fact his son had kept everything so quiet for such a long time; "You have everything planned," Draco was almost disappointed his son hadn't confided in him sooner, but could understand why he hadn't of course. He'd feared the response. He smiled sincerely at Scorpius; "I'm very proud of you, son."

And Scorpius knew he had his answer.

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **Hmm, I think Rose shot herself in the foot a bit there. Oops! For those of you who are curious, there are about another six chapters of this story to go and fairly shortly, not accounting for the seventh year in the next couple of chapters, there will be another bigger jump forwards in time :)

_Next chapter- __its graduation at last and emotions are running a little bit high… oh, and Draco tries his best to freak out Ron._


	22. Because he's a Malfoy?

**"Because he's a Malfoy?"**

**Disclaimers: **See ch1.

* * *

**July 2022**

Rose stirred sleepily in her comfortable four-poster bed as the first strands of dawn flittered in through the tall blue and bronze stained glass windows of Ravenclaw Tower. She yawned, disorientated and then fully awoke with a start- the realisation filling her as hard as a slap in the face. This was it: today was her last day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Graduation!

Bittersweet melancholy filled her as she sat up, her eyes sweeping around the silent dorm. The other girls in her year were still sleeping, including Meera, and Rose crept out of bed, careful not to wake them and tiptoed over to her chair pulling on her bright blue dressing gown over her pyjamas, her feet curling as they hit the cold stone floor. She stood silently by the window for a while, watching the sun rise high over the hills in the distance, setting the heather on fire and luminating the Forbidden Forest in an arc of golden light, hardly believing that seven years had passed by so quickly. Seven years of laughter, triumphs and heartache. She would miss Hogwarts, really she would, yet she had a new adventure to look forward to now.

Paris.

After achieving the highest percentage in her year in all of her NEWTS, only just narrowly beating Scorpius, Rose would be starting Wizarding University over there at the end of September- having successfully gained the grades she needed for acceptance onto her desired Potions course. The very thought of moving to one of the most exciting cities in the world filled her with both excitement and fear. She wasn't a little girl anymore- she was seventeen- soon to be eighteen and very soon to be making her own way in the world. It was a sobering thought.

She wasn't the only one with exciting adventures to partake in either: Lorcan was still on a permanent high about working for her Uncle George in the Edinburgh branch of WWW and the remainders of the trio, Albus and Phillius, were going to Romania for a while, to stay with Uncle Charlie on the dragon compound, which Albus was utterly ecstatic about. James had done the same thing last year, before settling down to his Auror training, and had had a brilliant time he'd said. Phillius would eventually be returning to England to study botany and Herbology, following in his father's footsteps in a career he excelled at, whilst Albus would be taking on an apprenticeship at the Ministry of Magic in the Care of Magical Creatures Department.

Lysander, Rose knew, was highly looking forward to travelling to Papua New Guinea with his dad for six months on a special assignment for The Quibbler. Mrs Scamander was to long distance floo over there to join them whenever she could. The family were hunting a new species of Greater Furry Niffler believed to be in hiding over there, though not to anyone's surprise, Lysander _had_ dallied with the idea of being an estate agent for a while, given his predilection for Wizardopoly and buying out property like no one's business.

Meera too, had plans- her friend was taking on an apprenticeship at Madame Malkin's Fashion School in London's trendy Islington. Rose knew that elegant Meera, who always knew _exactly_ what was in fashion, would be a smashing success. Undoubtedly in years to come, witches and wizards would be proud to say they were dressed in a Meera Gohil design. Rose fully intended to be her first comission, though what event she'd actually have to wear fancy robes for, she didn't know.

As for Scorpius… Roses' smile faded slightly as she bit her lip and worried the bridge of her freckled nose in a characteristic Weasley gesture. She was happy for him getting to go and work overseas for a year, really she was and the charity he would be working for sounded positively amazing. Just… did it have to be so _far away_? Africa was another continent for Merlin's sake! Even though the two of them had passed their apparition test the January before, Rose knew she wouldn't be up to long-distance apparition just yet as her confidence was decidedly shaky, she still dreaded accidentally splinching herself. They'd have to make do with long distance floo whenever they could, and owls too of course. Though Scorpius could use a telephone adeptly, Rose highly doubted that impoverished muggles in the poorest part of Africa would have that kind of technology.

Scorpius being so far away was the only downer in Roses' otherwise perfect plans- she knew she would miss him terribly. She missed him already and he hadn't even left yet!

Her worst fears from the year before however, had never been realised. Scorpius had never asked out Meera nor did he give any indication he was going to either and the way he looked at her was purely friendly. Rose admittedly felt a bit silly for ever thinking he would want to ask her out so quickly after her break up with Lorcan, but kept reminding herself that it was none of her business if he wanted to go out with anybody. She was his friend. _Just_ his friend. His best friend nonetheless, which counted for something... didn't it?

Their seventh year at Hogwarts had been brilliant, just brilliant, Rose thought now as she stared at the breaking dawn, tracing the spirals on the cool glass, a little smile creeping across her face at the memories. The icing on the cake was passing her exams and achieving such high grades of course, but what had made things even better was that Scorpius had deservedly been made head boy, much to his fathers' pride, alongside the chosen Gryffindor head girl Sarah Hall. Rose was so proud of him too and he'd done an absolutely fantastic job- he was a real credit to the school and she couldn't imagine anyone better suited for the role.

Rose had been given a position of authority at the start of the year also, which (as far as she was concerned) more than made up for her disappointment at not getting prefect in fifth year, and to her joy she had been made captain of the Ravenclaw quidditch team, where she still played Chaser. Scorpius had unfortunately had to give the team up as his head boy duties took up too much time in his final year, but he still aided Rose with the strategies and practices and to their delight (but not a grumpy Albus'), the quidditch cup had once more been brought back to Ravenclaw tower. It seemed a fitting end to their final term and to their very last year at the school that had meant so much to them over the years. The Ravenclaw students had celebrated for hours on end and even Peeves had joined in the festivities.

Rose knew she was going to miss Hogwarts immensely and felt her eyes stinging with tears as she gazed at the now pinkening sky. She realised she felt rather lost of a sudden- for the last seven years Hogwarts had been like a home to her and now she was going to have to leave. Like it had happened only yesterday, Rose could recall with crystal clear clarity her very first ride on the Hogwarts Express, leaving her family behind at the station... the very first time she had clapped eyes on Scorp and their very first conversation. She hadn't liked him very much, had she? He hadn't seemed to like _her_ very much either. Hard to believe that now.

And their silly little wager over the seeker position on the quidditch team... it was laughable really, how silly some people could be. She and Scorpius were always meant to be friends, she suspected. Some people just couldn't see what was right under their very noses.

A broad grin lifted Roses' lips as the multitude of pleasurable memories of Hogwarts assailed her; tea and biscuits with Hagrid in his hut, the very first time she had played Chaser for Ravenclaw in her second year... comfortable evenings playing Wizardopoly or curling up with a book in the common room... that was all at an end now. Forever.

"Rose…"

Rose looked over her shoulder and over at her friends bed where Meera was sitting up and wiping the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes; "is it morning _already_?" she complained grumpily, kicking at the sheets and cringing. "Ugh. We only just went to bed."

Rose grinned and tried to appear nonchalant, even despite the burgeoning tears welling in the back of her throat at the dawning realisation that after today, all of this would be no more. Or rather it would, just she would no longer be a part of it. Her friend had never been a morning person in all her years at Hogwarts, but Rose was more than used to her griping about early mornings by now. This would be the very last time she'd ever hear Meera complain about getting up early and even that one silly notion pained her. After today they'd never be roommates again. It was all so terribly final.

Meera eyed Rose tentatively as if sensing what she was thinking, "don't cry, Rosie," she urged sweetly.

"I was just thinking," Rose admitted with a small smile, "we've had some fantastic years here, haven't we?"

Meera made a little face, "apart from the years that include that _git_ Lorcan in them, then yes."

Rose rolled her eyes. Meera and Lorcan, much as they _tried_ to get on for the sake of the group of friends, still continuously sniped at each other whenever they could with little sarcastic comments and snide remarks. It was wearing admittedly, but unfortunately they were all getting used to it. Rose just hoped that they could be friends again one day- like they used to be, before everything. "I wish you two would just get over yourselves…"

"Pot, kettle," Meera muttered in a low voice.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing."

"Before I go and get washed and dressed I'm just going to go down to the common room for one last time while it's quiet," Rose then flushed, "that sounds incredibly sentimental and sappy, doesn't it?"

"A bit," Meera said frankly, hugging her knees under the quilt, "but I know how much it means to you."

Rose smiled. "I'm going to miss you, Miss Fashion Designer. You'd better visit me whenever you can."

"Back at you- Miss Pareee," Meera responded with a slow drawl, rolling the 'r' in a near perfect imitation of Roses' own (much better now) pronunciation, "hey, just think: scary thought, in fifteen years or so, we could both have _kids _coming to Hogwarts. They could be in Ravenclaw, too!"

"That is indeed a scary thought," Rose said ruefully, "of course, I'll have to find a bloke who'll put up with me first…" she shook her head as thoughts of grey eyes and platinum blond hair suddenly popped into her head and then laughed a little at her silliness, trying to ignore her crazy thoughts. Merlin, where had _they_ come from? For a split second there it was almost like she'd been thinking about being with... nah.

"Ok, you go back to sleep for a bit," Rose instructed quickly, trying to ignore her barmy thoughts; "the ceremony doesn't start for hours yet… I'll wake you up when we need to start getting ready."

"Ok," Meera yawned gratefully as Rose tiptoed down the staircase in her tartan pyjamas, pulling her dressing gown tighter around herself. She was asleep again before her head even hit the pillow.

Somehow Rose wasn't surprised to find Scorpius seated on the couch beside the fire, gazing dreamily into space and dressed in pyjama bottoms and a baggy Falmouth Falcon's t-shirt. Rose flushed at the sight and was about to creep upstairs again so he wouldn't see her in her own pyjamas and with ratty sleep-tousled hair, when he looked up and saw her. Merlin's balls, she positively looked a fright. Heat rose high in her freckled cheeks as she clutched at the doorway.

"Hi," he said quietly, patting the cushion beside him, indicating her to come and join him.

Gods, Rose would miss that smile when he went away. The idea of him being so far from her was unbearable, really it was. She sat beside him and joined in the contemplative silence.

"What were you thinking about?" she eventually asked him quietly.

"Everything I suppose," he admitted with a smile. "I'm going to miss this place."

"You and me both," Rose self consciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, wondering why she felt so flustered. Scorpius had seen her in her pyjamas hundreds of times over the years and she him, so why was it so awkward all of a sudden? Why did she suddenly feel so embarassed? Why did she wish she'd brushed her hair or at least brushed her teeth? Ugh. Morning breath.

"It's weird to think its all really over," Scorpius said with a sigh, seemingly not noticing how self conscious she felt, "I mean, I can't wait to take my gap year and then here's hoping McGonagall can help me get into University after that… It just feels so daunting to know that we won't be at Hogwarts anymore after today. It's like... everything's changing and I'm still trying to catch up."

Rose felt the tears pricking her eyes again and swallowed the lump in her throat; "I know, Scorp. That's how I feel too."

"Promise me that I'll always have you, Rose," he said seriously and the look in his grey eyes was almost electric then. "No matter what else changes… no matter where we are. Africa, Paris... anywhere."

"I promise," Rose was glad of the one definite constant in her life: her best friend, as she slipped her hand into his and he pulled her into a tight hug, heedless of ratty hair and unbrushed teeth; "always."

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

Three hours later, Scorpius exited the main school building and entered the sunny quad where soon-to-be-former seventh-year students, teachers and parents were already gathering, in preparation of the graduation ceremony which was scheduled to begin in the Great Hall at 12:00pm. Scorpius felt that familiar combination of both excitement and terror as his eyes soaked in the almost festive ambiance, he could still scarcely believe that this day had arrived. It felt like everything in the last few years had been leading up to this one pivotal point, exams, heartache, trials and tribulations, and now it was here, he didn't quite know what to do with himself. It was a bit of a flat feeling actually, which was rather strange to admit, but for the past few months he had lived and breathed his NEWTS and now they were over too... it was quite unsettling.

"Is your dad here yet?" Roses' soft voice from behind him pulled him from his reverie and with a grateful smile he turned, glad to see her in all the comotion.

"He should be on his--- wow." Momentarily, Scorpius forgot what he was actually going to say as he took in the sight of his best friend, dressed in her graduation finery and looking utterly resplendent- even her hair looked a damn sight more controlled than it usually did, though Scorpius found that he instantly missed the frizzy curls.

"You look…" Scorpius' mercury coloured eyes roved across her silky hair and across her pretty face, "lovely Rose. Really lovely." Then he flushed, his stomach in knots for coming out with such a thing, despite how true the statement actually was. He complimented Rose all the time admittedly, though it was usually over a great quidditch play or a brilliant mark in her schoolwork and her exams of course- _never_ ever over her looks.

Rose smiled, secretly gratified by the praise, for Meera had spent a long time helping her get ready for the ceremony- she was even wearing makeup, though only a tiny little bit; "thanks Scorp," she said mildly, "you look nice too." He really did, in his own smart robes and with his usually shaggy hair slicked back out of his eyes. The perfect Hogwarts head boy, she reasoned, proudly, her eyes settling on the shiny badge pinned to his chest now as if visible proof of her deduction.

Unconsciously, Scorpius curled several loose strands of Roses' hair around his fingers as he stepped closer to her, testing the silkiness there for himself; "Sleekeazy?" he guessed, feeling slightly braver than usual as he looked down at her. Their conversation in the common room early that morning had instilled in him a confidence he didn't usually have and he took full opportunity to make the most of it. Rose had promised that she would always be here for him and that meant everything to him...

Even if he was to do something as stupid as... telling her how he really felt about her for instance?

Rose was confused to feel her stomach fluttering uncontrollably as his graceful fingers threaded delicately through her hair. Gods, why was she feeling so nervous all of a sudden? This was _Scorp_ for Merlin's sake! Maybe she had indigestion again, yes, that was probably it. Funny how it always happened around him. "Something like that," she managed, her voice sounding strangely strangled to her own ears as she felt her cheeks warming under his heated gaze. "Meera charmed it for me so it wouldn't frizz. It lasts twenty-four hours apparently."

"Ah," Scorpius replied, still not moving away from her. Rose suddenly realised she didn't _want_ him to. She also found that she rather liked the way he was staring down at her like he'd actually realised she was a girl for the first time ever, even as her mind clouded with confusion at what those thoughts meant.

Scorpius looked down at the girl who had been his closest friend for seven years and took a shaky breath. Suddenly he knew that he couldn't do this anymore; he couldn't carry on pretending that all he felt for her was purely friendship- it was hurting him keeping it locked inside, not to mention frying his brain because he was so stressed in thinking about the situation all the time. Even if she turned right around and rejected him, well, at least he would have been honest with her. Plus, he was off to Africa soon- he wouldn't have to be humiliated for too long. The _others_ all knew, telling Rose was surely just the next step… right?

Right.

"Rose…"

"Mmm?" she looked up at him and for a second he completely lost all trail of thought, his mind drifting into peaceful oblivion. Gods, her eyes were blue. _Really_ blue. A bit like the cerulean of the Trinity potion when you added boomslang skin and a pinch of---

_Concentrate Scorpius._

"I've been thinking," he began quietly. "About a lot of things lately, but mainly about you and me…."

"Ok," Rose replied uncertainly, eyeing him with visible concern and then: "Scorp, are you ok? You're sweating."

Merlin, so he was. Agitated, Scorpius used his free hand to wipe away the thin sheen of perspiration beading his forehead. "I'm fine," he said quickly. _Don't panic. This is Rose. Even if she doesn't fancy you back, you're always going to be friends. Ok, so it could be a bit awkward for a while but you won't even be in the same country as her, you can by-pass that. In a few years everything could be right back to normal again, no problem. Right?_

Right.

"What's wrong, Scorp?" she asked tentatively. She was more than used to his contemplative moods, had been privy to one that very morning infact, but this seemed different. _He_ seemed different.

"Nothing's _wrong_, per se," he responded quickly, feeling bad for making her worry about him. Gods, this was it. He was really going to do this.

"See Rose, the thing is, well, I was thinking about how you and I are close. We're close, aren't we?"

Rose nodded, looking a little bewildered by this turn of conversation; "um, yes. You're my best friend, Scorp."

"Right, haha. Well, when I say _close_ I suppose what I'm meaning to say is that you and I, well we could maybe be more than just cl---"

"Meera."

_"Lorcan."_

The two of them looked up simultaneously at the interruption- as their two friends arrived in the quad and approached them at the same time, coming from opposite directions of course. The pair of them were clearly _striving_ for civility since their break-up as they always did; however neither teenager could quite keep the acidity from their voices nor the venom from their gazes as they eyeballed each other with intense dislike.

Scorpius watched as if through a haze as Roses' face clouded over with concern as she eyed the formerly 'happy' couple. His heart sank and stomach lurched as yet again he was reminded of her blatant philosophy that had been playing like a constant mantra in his head since the previous year: _friends shouldn't go out with other friends_.

Because it ruined everything.

Of course it did.

What was he thinking? There was just no way he could tell her. No way at all.

He snapped his mouth shut and knew very definitely, that suffering in silence was clearly the best way forwards.

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

The very second Draco port-keyed outside the wrought-iron school gates and was granted permission to enter the Hogwarts grounds, he was keeping a beady eye out for the Weasel. He'd decided that today of all days, would be the _perfect_ time to drop the dungbomb on him: that Scorpius was harbouring feelings for his daughter. Draco could hardly wait to see the look of barely concealed horror creeping across that freckled face of his and he rubbed his hands together in speculative glee.

The grounds were looking beautiful and flourishing in the July sunshine- clearly Longbottom and his merry band of green-fingered helpers had been working hard in ensuring the school looked at its very best for today's graduation ceremony- even Draco had to admit (albeit reluctantly) that the landscaped gardens were looking better than ever and took some time to appreciate the well-manicured fauna and all manner of exotic plant species as he sauntered past them.

Clusters of students and parents were gathered in the quad, chattering animatedly, but it wasn't hard for Draco to spot his own son- the platinum head stood out head and shoulders above everyone else- and factor in the redhead close beside him and Scorpius wasn't that easy to miss at all. Scorpius beamed when he saw his father and hurried over to him, Rose in tow of course. Draco wondered how on earth the two of them would cope with being separated and by an entire continent nonetheless. That would be difficult.

"Hi dad!"

"Scorp, Rose," Draco greeted them cordially, pride filling him at the realisation that his son was no longer a boy but a man and would soon be making his own way in the world, "congratulations on today and Rose, I believe congratulations are in order over your exceptional exam results. Scorpius told me that you have gotten into your desired university in Paris? This is indeed a very exciting occaision for both of you."

"Thanks very much, Mr Malfoy," Rose said politely and then her eyes caught a flash of red at the other end of the quad and she felt her heart leap. "Oh, I think I can see my mum and dad… excuse me a second…"

Scorpius watched her excitedly head in the direction of her parents and Draco watched Scorpius watching her. His son looked crestfallen, his eyes troubled, despite his blasé smile. "Are you nervous about your speech?" he proffered, knowing what the real problem was but not wanting to dwell on it.

As head boy, Scorpius would have to give a joint speech with the head girl, bestowing the virtues of Hogwarts and lamenting on what he had learned in his time here, as was tradition. Not the best public speaker by any means, he knew Scorpius had been worrying about it for a while and it seemed easier to make reference to the dreaded speech than to cause his son to reflect on Rose any longer.

"A bit," Scorpius confessed; "but Rose and Lysander have both helped me with it and they reckon it's pretty good. As long as I can get through it without stammering or dropping my notes, I should be ok."

"You'll be brilliant," Draco assured him, wanting to jolly him.

"Thanks dad," Scorpius' distant eyes unconsciously drifted once more in the general vicinity of Rose and Draco sighed impatiently. His son was a gonner, off in the land of Weasley.

**…**

"Students! If I may have your attention!" Professor Binn's droning voice rose above the chatter and merry laughter twenty minutes later, and heads looked up above the crowd, where the history teacher was floating and waving his arms for silence; "I would like you to enter the great hall and find your assigned seating. Parents, if you would care to remain here, I will ask you to join us shortlyonce all graduates are seated. The graduation ceremony is about to begin!"

"About bloody time," Draco muttered, eyeing his gold pocket watch. He nevertheless shook his son's hand. "You'll be fine," he said firmly, "don't worry, alright? I'm very proud of you."

Scorpius smiled weakly at him one more time before hurrying after Rose and joining the line made up of the crowds of final year students heading into the building, all looking very smart in their robes. Scorpius noticed Potter's youngest lad, with his messy hair and merry green eyes and was instantly reminded of his other purpose for being here today.

_Showtime!_ Draco glanced around him eagerly and caught sight of fiery red hair that could only belong to the Weasley or the Weaslette- Potter's wife. Sure enough, as he strode over, he saw Ron Weasley stood talking to Potter as they eyed the crowds around them. _Bloody good timing_, Draco thought with satisfaction. Granger and the Weaslette were off at the other side of the quad, brown nosing their former teachers no doubt. Draco rolled his eyes. Some things never changed- despite their somewhat... friendship now, he was still entitled to think that Weasley, nee Granger was a bit of a suck-up.

"Malfoy," Potter's greeting was cordial as he joined the two of them. Weasel merely nodded at him, a little warily still, Draco was pleased to note.

"I have something to tell you," Draco said smugly, looking from Ron to Harry and then back again and not bothering with niceties, "it may shock you to your very core, Weasel, so do be prepared." He allowed just the right intonation of drama to infuse his voice. Merlin, he was good. He should have been on the stage or at least in one of those WWN radio soap opera's that Tori used to listen to.

Ron merely looked confused as he met Harry's eyes; "er, ok then…"

"My son… Your daughter…" Draco began dramatically and then waited, his eyes assessing the freckled man's face, wondering when the sickle would finally drop.

Ron however looked bewildered; "my daughter, your son, _what_?"

Draco exhaled. Harry smirked. He'd known Ron wouldn't cotton on straight away.

"My son and your daughter… have _feelings_ for each other," Draco finally snapped irritated, "gods, Weasel—talk about dense. I'm amazed you can put your legs in the right trouser holes on a morning."

Ron looked startled and then perturbed and then worried all at once as Draco felt the sheer pleasure oozing through his veins. _Take that- Weasel!_

"That can't happen," Ron ventured finally, looking at Harry and scratching his head and then shooting a worried look over to where his daughter was stood, nervously waiting in line to enter the hall; "can it?"

"Why not, Weasel? **Why** can't it happen? Because he's a _Malfoy_? You can't stand the thought of your precious daughter with one of _our_ lot, is that it?" Draco's voice rang with sheer irony and triumph, thinking he'd finally figured it all out and gotten Weasley right where he wanted him- folding his thin arms with total satisfaction written all over his pointed face.

"No," Ron said blankly as he glanced from he to Harry and back again, scratching his head in confusion at Draco's tone, "I wasn't thinking _that_ at all actually. I was just thinking that with Rose off to Paris in a few weeks and Scorpius off to Africa for a year… the timing's pretty crap if anything _was_ to happen between them, that's all."

Draco's mouth opened and closed a few times in visible shock, spluttering like a fish out of water. Harry hid a snicker. Clearly this wasn't what Malfoy had expected at all. The grin was completely wiped from his face at the knowledge that Ron had taken the news about their children surprisingly well.

"You—you don't _mind_?" Draco demanded, stunned. He'd expected anger, the notorious Weasley rage, slugs thrown at him for nourishment (successfully this time)- anything but this.

"Why should I _mind?_" Ron asked, folding his own arms; "I'd rather Rosie be with someone level-headed and clever like _your_ lad, than with an idiot that just goes and breaks her heart."

"But--but he's a Malfoy," Draco almost wailed now, visibly infuriated that he hadn't been able to wind Weasley up in the way he'd intended. Harry smirked, watching this little display and Draco's petulance, glad Ron had taken it better than he'd imagined.

"He's also a Ravenclaw," Ron said impertinently, "not a Slytherin. Gods, the thought of our Rosie with a _Slytherin_ would near enough do me in. Our Rosie tells me things are different now when it comes to house prejudices, but still..."

Draco huffed, beyond irritated that the redheaded man had taken the news so much better than he had expected. Maybe the Weasel was due a bit more credit than he'd thought.

Harry tried to hide his smile; "I hate to say this, but much as Scorpius has cottoned on to his feelings for our Rosie, _she_ seems a bit oblivious to it. At least she has been so far."

"She's like me, isn't she in that respect?" Ron said, looking dismayed.

Draco snorted; "if she's anything like _you_, Weasel, they're going to be approaching their mid-fifties before anything actually happens between them."

"I got Hermione in the end," Ron muttered, his ears reddening.

"By some bloody miracle," Draco tutted, rolling his eyes as he smoothed down his charcoal dress robes.

"I hate to say this Ron, but he has a point," Harry admitted frankly, "you and Mione kissed during the war but then there was nothing else for another couple of years… just all these longing glances and what could be classed- _if you squint very hard_- as 'flirting.' Ginny and I were ready to hex you three ways to Sunday and even _Percy_ got fed up of you whinging about her in the end. You've no idea how utterly frustrating it was for everyone to watch the pair of you dallying around each other all the time."

"I was… biding my time," Ron scowled, his face flushing now as well as he cast a glance over to his wife across the quad where she was chatting with Professor Flitwick, "anyway, it was worth it in the end. _More_ than worth it."

"Let's just hope Scorpius feels the same," Draco sighed as he watched his son, who continuously darted looks at Rose out of the corner of his eye and shuffled a little closer to her as the students finally entered the hall; "something tells me it's going to take time with _them_, too."

**…**

Draco was rather surprised to find himself seated in amongst the Potter-Weasley clan in the great hall, but not entirely displeased by it, he had to admit. As he slid into his seat, he couldn't help but realise that Astoria should have been here for this- for their only child's graduation ceremony and all the pomp and circumstance that came with it. Scorpius was seventeen- he'd successfully passed his NEWTS, with incredibly high marks and was to be going abroad to volunteer for a muggle charity. Draco's mind boggled. Not only that, when he returned in a years time, he would hopefully have been accepted into a university, and a muggle one at that!

The ceremony began with the school choir singing the Hogwarts school song and despite himself, Draco found his foot unconsciously tapping along. He only stopped at a rather bemused look thrown at him from the Weaslette two chairs along, who nudged her husband and snickered. At Harry's amused grin, he folded his arms determinedly in his lap. Gods, he was Draco Malfoy for christs sake, he would NOT tap his foot to that bloody song!

Next came the endlessly long welcome speech from McGonagall whom, it seemed to Draco, thanked everybody from the students, to the teachers, to the parents, right down to the bloody house elves. Despite his reticence at the formal proceedings and his annoyance at the chirpy choir, Draco couldn't help imagining what his own graduation ceremony from here would have been like, but just like so many others of his class, he had never got the chance to graduate. The war had seen to that. Neither the Weasel or Potter had graduated either though Granger had returned to complete her studies of course; Potter had gone straight into fully-fledged Auror training and the Weasel into professional quidditch and then onto commentary. Whilst an education was all well and good- they'd done alright for themselves- Draco was glad his son had the exam certificates to prove his worth: the sky really was the limit for him.

"What?" Draco hissed in annoyance, feeling a soft dig in his ribs from his left. Granger met his eyes and then tilted her head to the stage where Draco's heart caught in his mouth at the sight of his son nervously climbing the steps to the wooden stage. He instantly abandoned all other thoughts. This was his son's moment to shine and he didn't want to miss a single second of it.

"And now before we begin the certificate presentations to all of our departing students, a brief word from our head boy, Scorpius Malfoy, followed by our head girl, Sarah Hall!" McGonagall said brightly, clapping politely and encouraging the audience to do the same. There was no need, as the students exploded with cheers, rather taking Draco aback.

"Whoo! Go Scorp!" the cheer came from amongst the graduating student body and Draco saw Scorpius flush hotly and tug on his collar as he cleared his throat, shooting a murderous look in that specific direction.

"Bloody Albus," he heard Ginny say with a tut to Harry, "embarassing him like that."

Draco thought his son would be rather glad of the support from the younger Potter however and joined in the enthusiastic clapping as his son unravelled his crinkled parchment at the podium. The clapping faded as his son started to speak and Draco leaned forwards, absorbing every single word.

"Um, hi," Scorpius began hesitantly; "I'm not brilliant at speeches, or very confident either..." he lifted his head and his eyes met his father's then, "those things are better left to my dad," he admitted; "and I suppose that's the first thing I want to do: I want to thank my dad for letting me come to Hogwarts."

Wordlessly, Draco sat back in his chair, startled at the sudden public gratitude. He felt stares on him from the other parents nearby, as students also cranned their necks to look back at him, but he ignored them- his attention was firmly fixed on his son's anxious face. Scorpius was clearly looking to him for approval, just like he always did.

Scorpius continued tentatively; "coming to Hogwarts was the best thing that I ever did and I can't imagine going anywhere else, no matter what _other_ people wanted for me..." the silence in the hall was sharp, for this was the first time that Scorpius had publicly alluded to his incarcerated grandfather since the end of trial. Mercifully however, that was all Scorpius said on the matter, for which Draco was relieved. He'd seen Rita Skeeter lurking around the grounds today and he didn't want their live's dredged up in the Prophet once more, no matter how good Scorpius' speech was.

"...no other school would be comparable to what I've experienced over my seven years here and I'm so glad of that. My dad always said to me that it's Hogwarts that helps you learn who you really are and shapes you onto the person you'll become, and he's right. He told me at the station in my first term that it didn't matter to him whether I was a Slytherin or not- which is a good thing I suppose-" Scorpius' eyes flashed with mischief now; "I'm not as good at thinking up out-at-curfew or not-completing-my-homework excuses as the Slytherins are..." there was friendly laughter from the Slytherin contingent and a few good-natured catcalls. Draco was amazed at the clear cameraderie. Clearly more had changed during his son's years at Hogwarts than even _he_ or Weasel had realised and he was glad of that. Those who had refused to speak to his son in his first couple of years, feeling him a 'blood traitor' or a Slytherin traitor had clearly gotten over any irrational and unfair grudges. Draco only wished he himself could have been the same, many years ago. His school life here could have been very different.

Draco sensed that Scorpius was growing steadily more confident now as he even looked up from his parchment a few times, and beside him he could tell that the Potter's and Weasley's were also listening to him intently. The silence in the hall was palpable. For someone who hated making speeches, Scorpius was doing absolutely brilliantly.

"I'm supposed to follow Hogwarts tradition and talk about all the things I've learned," Scorpius added ruefully, with a sidelong glance at McGonagall, who was smiling fondly at him amidst all the hubub, from her chair on the stage. "And I will, but first of all I just wanted to thank my dad, personally and publicly. We've had a tough few years but he's always been here for me. So, thanks dad- for letting me come to Hogwarts and letting me live _my_ life for _me_. That means more to me than anything else and I'm so proud that you're my father."

Stunned into complete silence, Draco watched in shock as his son started clapping- for him. The Potters, The Weasleys and even McGonagall and the other staff joined in, as the hall was filled with heartfelt applause, both at Scorpius' speech and the honest sentiment behind it and Draco was thankful that the candles in the hall were slightly dimmed, so that nobody could see the sudden tears of emotion that had sprung to his usually icy grey eyes.

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **So near, yet so far. At least give him credit for almost attempting to tell her, and at least Rose has realised her own feelings now too! Damn their argumentative friends for putting him off!

_Next chapter- We're back at the Burrow for a goodbye party and even _Draco's_ invited to this one…_


	23. A parting of the ways

**A parting of the ways**

**Disclaimer: **See ch1

* * *

_**Three weeks later, The Burrow;**_

_'Bon voyage Rose and Scorpius!' - _The huge banner that hung over the crowded garden swayed gently in the August breeze- its text charmed blue and bronze, sparkling in the sunlight. Below it a huge wooden table was set up and covered in every kind of food imaginable- delicious homemade sponge cakes and flaky pastries courtesy of Molly Weasley, crisp green salads, plump quiches, fruit and vegetable tarts, golden sausage rolls…

Over to one side of the spacious garden was a charmed mountain of ice on which rested goblets of cold alcoholic drinks and luscious fruit punch. A makeshift dance floor had been set up in the other corner and already loud, cheerful music could be heard coming from the Weasley's charmed old wireless and several of the smaller Weasley cousins danced away happily, laughing and calling teasingly to one another over the sounds of The Thrillers and The Weird Sisters.

Scorpius and Draco could hear the mêlée the very second they apparated to the hill overlooking the Burrow- a sight that always had the power to warm the teenagers heart. He suspected it would always have that power, no matter how old he grew. He was always so happy to get back there- every single time he saw the crooked house with smoke spiralling higgledy-piggledy from the multiple chimneys he was reminded of that blissful fortnight he'd spent there with Rose, before everything in his life and heart had gotten so completely confusing.

He would always remember the Burrow as the place where he'd realised his true feelings for Rose. No matter what happened.

"Looks like quite the party," Draco commented with an appreciative smile as the scent of fresh pastry wafted towards them, causing his tastebuds to water, "I'm glad you and Rose decided to have this party together. It feels very appropriate somehow."

"Me too," like an eager child, Scorpius tugged on his father's arm impatiently, pulling him after him down the hill as he gathered speed so he was almost at a run; "hurry up dad!"

Laughing, Draco let himself be pulled quickly down the grassy bank after him, the din from the party growing ever louder as they finally neared the house.

Like the proverbial moth to a flame, Scorpius' grey eyes rested on Rose the very second he got to the crooked wooden gate and pushed it open with a creak. She was stood with Meera and Hugo chatting merrily, and beamed when she caught sight of him, her face lighting up.

"This all looks bloody brilliant," Scorpius exclaimed as he entered the chaotic back garden an appreciative smile on his face, grinning and waving at several people in welcome, dodging several tiny Weasley's who ran amock around his ankles and desperately trying not to trip over them as he reached Rose; "your grandparents really went all out for this, Rose." He coughed before adding in a tiny voice; "um, you look very nice."

"They don't do things by halves," Rose agreed, resplendent in a white sundress- she'd opted for cool muggle garb with the warmer weather of recent weeks, greeting Scorpius and even Draco with a shy hug and clearly not picking up on the compliment; "I'm glad you're both here at last, are you nervous about leaving, Scorp?"

"A bit. I can't believe this day's here. It feels like our graduation ceremony with the feeling of expectation and anxiousness... only bigger. You?"

"Petrified," Rose said simply as she bit her lip, finally belying her true emotions. Draco watched the interaction between the pair with keen interest, hiding his smile in his newly acquired goblet of mead. He would report his findings to Potter and the Weasel later.

It was their going away party at last and neither of them could quite believe it had come around so fast. The weeks since they had left Hogwarts had passed in a flurry of last-minute activity- shopping for books and parchment in Roses' case and in Scorpius', getting his dreaded inoculations at St Mungo's and further reading up on Africa and muggles so he would blend in with the other volunteers, not to mention spending all the time he could with both Rose and his dad as the deadline for the departure grew steadily nearer.

Both of them would be leaving England tomorrow: Scorpius would be off to take his gap year in Sudan, Africa before hopefully attending either Oxford or Cambridge, and Rose would be heading off to Paris for her own first year at University which was scheduled to begin in early September. Consequently, after very little persuading from their parents, Rose and Scorpius had decided to hold a joint going away party at the Burrow, which was why the garden was so completely full of both friends and relatives alike. Even Hagrid, Flitwick and McGonagall had shown up to wish the two former students well and were currently chatting with Roses' mum and dad by the food table, Hagrid's beard covered in foam from whatever he was drinking. The garden was full of the sound of merry laughter and chatter and Rose reflected that this was _exactly_ the way she wanted to remember the Burrow and those who were here.

A small smile crossed Draco's face as he eyed the delectable feast then his son who literally couldn't take his eyes off Rose, the notion of food clearly long forgotten for him; "you'll both be fine," he assured them simply, "if you'll excuse me, I think I will go and thank your grandparents for arranging this." With another small smile, he left them to it and courteously headed in the direction of Molly and Arthur.

Rose met his eyes enviously, at a loss for words all of a sudden which felt a bit weird; "you're going to have a brilliant time in Africa."

"What about _you_? You get to go to Paris! I always wanted to go there," Scorpius responded evenly. He suddenly felt that there was a million and one things he wanted to say to her, only he couldn't of course. He'd left things far too late and she was leaving. _He_ was leaving. Nerves rose in his throat along with bitter regret. He couldn't leave it like this. He couldn't leave so many things unsaid. It just wasn't right.

"Will...will you visit me?" Rose asked him hopefully next, "when you're back from over there I mean. I expect you to owl me all the time anyway with all of your news, but when _you_ get to university we'll both have reading weeks free and holiday time, and we can even compare the English syllabus to the French one and--"

Scorpius beamed at the vintage Rose line of conversation, even as he felt his stomach sinking at the notion that soon they were going to be separated and by an entire _continent_ nonetheless- gods what was he thinking? He wasn't sure how he'd handle not seeing her or talking to her at least every single day, much as he couldn't wait for his gap year to actually begin; "wild hippogriffs couldn't keep me away," he assured her, meaning every single word.

"Good," Rose said firmly.

"Good," Scorpius echoed dimly. Then he sighed and raked an awkward hand through his hair; "Rose…"

"Mmm?" she tilted her head up to look at him. Scorpius was positively determined to ignore how blue her eyes were today, and not be distracted by the splattering of freckles across her sunburnt nose. And he actually succeeded in holding his trail of thought for once- but just barely. It was always a supreme effort to keep his mind on track when he was around Rose Weasley.

"I—can I talk to you?" he ventured seriously.

"Of course," Rose looked somewhat puzzled by his demeanor; "aren't we doing that now?"

"No- I mean, um, in private," Scorpius interjected hastily, ever conscious of Roses' younger cousins hovering nearby on the pretext of dancing, and Albus and Philius watching them, scrutiny written all over their faces. He made an irritated face of his own back at them and they turned away to grab a goblet of punch, suitably chagrined, but he could still hear them snickering. He'd hex them later. A couple of leg-locker curses would probably do it.

"Ok," Rose let herself be led across to a quiet corner of the garden, sidestepping yet more cousins and eyeing Meera curiously, who was still chatting amiably with a clearly love struck looking Hugo by the drinks fountain. Hugo was telling her a stupid sounding joke, but Meera did infact seem to find it funny. Rose rolled her eyes. There was clearly no accounting for taste. Lorcan was glowering at the two of them nearby and Rose sighed, wishing valiantly that Lorcan's twin was here to keep the peace, but Lysander was already off in Peru. He was the only one of the group of friends who hadn't been able to make it today, much to their dismay, as he'd been unable to obtain a long-distance apparition licence, but he'd owled them already and he was clearly having a fantastic time niffler hunting over there.

"I think Meera's flirting with my brother," Rose said with a grin as they paused in the shade of a huge oak tree; "right in front of _Lorcan_. Honestly! I wish those two would just sort it out, don't you? Lorcan doesn't want to be with her but he doesn't want anybody _else_ to be with her either so she can't move on and find someone else to go out with. Not that I approve of her stringing my little brother along to make him jealous, mind you..."

Scorpius waited impatiently for Rose to take a breath, he knew it would happen eventually. She caught sight of his annoyed impression and smiled contritely; "oops, sorry... I was rambling again."

"That's ok." He would miss that rambling very soon, he knew he would, but at this point in time he had other things he wanted to say to her and it would be very nice to get a word in edgeways for a change. Just once at least.

"I've been thinking..." Scorpius began quietly, anxiously. He was aware his voice was rather wobbly and forced himself to speak neutrally.

"Mmm?" Rose responded vaguely.

"About a lot of things, well... they aren't exactly _new_ thoughts. They're thoughts I've been having for a while as it happens..." he tugged on the collar of his summer robes awkwardly, wondering exactly how to phrase this and what her reaction to his sudden declaration would be.

"Mmm?" said Rose again, her eyes vacant and gazing halfway across the garden. Scorpius had the nasty suspicion that she wasn't paying him the slightest bit of attention and that he could have donned full death eater garb and danced in a fiery circle for her and she wouldn't even have noticed. The suspicion that she wasn't paying him the slightest bit of attention was fully confirmed when she suddenly gave a loud gasp and looked up at Scorpius in disbelief.

"Meera kissed _Hugo_!" Rose exclaimed incredulously, her blue eyes huge in her face as she suddenly took hold of his arm excitedly, "can you believe it? She just grabbed him and planted one right on his lips!" She craned her neck above the crowd, more than eager for this juicy new scoop. "Uh-oh. Lorcan _conveniently_ just saw it and he doesn't look very impressed," she reported breathlessly. "Wow!"

Scorpius folded his arms and exhaled huffily. _He_ wasn't very impressed either- he was trying to tell Rose something very important here- possibly the most important thing _ever_- and she was giving a play-by-play account of her little brothers romantic endeavours instead.

Merlin's bloody balls.

He tapped his foot petulantly and waited for Rose to finally look up and pay a bit of attention to _him _for a change.

**...**

Hugo's blue eyes were huge in his freckled face as he speechlessly gazed up at the girl of his dreams, at the object of his affections for the last five years. She'd kissed him. _Meera Gohil had kissed him_. One minute they'd been talking about his OWL results (he'd done pretty well as it happened) and the next thing she'd just stood on her tiptoes and planted one right on his lips. He could still practically taste the fizz from the fruit punch she'd been drinking only minutes earlier.

Wow. Hugo had kissed girls on Hogsmeade trips lots of times, but he'd never _ever_ expected to get the chance to kiss Meera. She was older than him for one thing, only two years but that counted for a lot with teenagers he knew, _and_ she was also one of his sister's best mates. Not to mention the fact she'd been practically glued to Lorcan bloody Scamander for the last three years. What in Merlin's name had brought this on?

Stunned, he ran his finger along his bottom lip as he blinked down at her uncertainly. She was looking back up at him, looking just as surprised as he felt and appearing rather startled all of a sudden. "You—you kissed me," he said, his brow furrowing perplexedly.

"Yes," Meera said quietly, her cheeks pinkening as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear looking flustered. Her dark eyes were wide with dawning realisation. "That—that was a rather nice kiss actually. Wasn't it?" she ventured almost uncertainly. Hugo had never ever seen the supremely confident Meera looking remotely wrong-footed before and he actually found he liked it. Seeing her looking so hesitant and coy made her seem far less intimidating and he unexpectedly found himself warming to her even more, if that was at all possible.

Hugo nodded in abject agreement, though he was sure he was still looking rather pale and dazed beneath his freckles.

Meera looked up at him in astonishment, suddenly noticing the way his eyes glittered when he was surprised, and the determined line of his jaw. In the August sunlight, his red hair was flecked with strands of gold and he suddenly looked… _older _all of a sudden. Much older than fifteen infact. Much older and much more mature than Lorcan ever had. When had her friend's little brother grown up so much?

Meera suddenly felt rather foolish for not noticing Hugo Weasley a lot sooner.

"Why did you...." Hugo suddenly halted his sentence noticing Lorcan stood by the flutterby bush, watching the scene with his arms folded and a knowing smile on his face, as comprehension and distress flooded him. "Oh. I see."

Meera flushed, instantly sensing his line of thought for she wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing; "Hugo---"

"No, that's fine," Hugo said curtly, hardly believing he'd thought for even one second that she could actually fancy him back, "I can see what you were doing. I'm not blind you know. Flirt with Hugo a bit, get his hopes up because you know he's fancied you for absolutely ages and _then_ snog him senseless in order to make your ex jealous. That's fine. A bit pathetic admittedly, but its fine."

"No, Hugo I---" dread filled Meera's stomach at seeing the visible hurt etched on his face- it hadn't occurred to her that her little stunt to make Lorcan jealous would upset him so much and truthfully, the kiss had thrown her for a real loop too; "I didn't mean to—"

Hugo laughed shortly, the tips of his ears reddening and his eyes flashing dangerously now; "don't worry about it; I mean, it wasn't as if I was stupid enough to think it actually _meant _anything to you after all."

Meera looked upset too now, her cheeks were draining of colour at the bitter tone underlying his voice; "Hugo, it did mean something. Honestly. The kiss... I liked the kiss. A lot actually. I never realised---"

"Realised what?" snapped Hugo, furious with himself for letting this girl get under his skin so much.

"How brilliant you are," Meera said honestly, her brown eyes imploring. "I've been used to seeing you as this little kid for so long that I never realised that you've grown up to be so bloody brilliant, Hugo. Nice and clever and funny and---"

For a split second, Meera thought she'd actually gotten through to him but then he rolled his eyes in disbelief as he glared down at her, positively refusing to be pacified as he folded his arms; "well, do you want to know what _I've_ finally realised?"

Meera wasn't so sure that she did, but she nodded slowly, hating the anger she saw on his face. Every other time Hugo had looked at her, there had been only adoration or admiration and she'd freely basked in it even when she'd been with Lorcan, now she could see only clarity visible there.

"I've _finally_ realised that you're actually a bit spoilt and shallow. I had you on this bloody big pedestal for so long and I honestly don't know why. You want to make your waste of space ex jealous? Find some other idiot to string along!"

With those words, Hugo stormed off inside the house, leaving Meera gazing after him in shocked silence, upset tears brimming in her eyes.

Sometimes the truth could really hurt.

**...**

"Oooh," Roses' eyes were absolutely huge; "Hugo just _shouted_ at Meera. Can you believe that? He shouted at her! Bloody hell. He realised what she was doing and told her off for trying to make Lorcan jealous by using him. Now he's gone off in a huff and she's watching him with this strange expression on her face and looking like she might cry...." Rose stopped short, comprehension dawning; "oh Merlin, I think she fancies him. I actually think Meera _fancies_ my little brother!" she made a face which signified both surprise and disgust. "Ugh."

"Good for Hugo," Scorpius said dryly; "it's about time _one_ of us saw some action. Now, are you quite finished gawking at them?" he couldn't quite keep the sarcasm from his voice and Rose finally realised that he was mildly pissed off and not only that, but he'd been waiting patiently to tell her something.

"Oh, gods," Rose flushed; "sorry Scorp, I keep interrupting you, don't I?"

Instantly Scorpius forgot his irritation. He could never stay angry with Rose for long after all. She wasn't perfect by any means- sometimes she could be scatterbrained, at other times she could be rather single-minded or stubborn and sometimes, rather like now, she was off on another planet and far too interested in everybody else's' business. It just made Scorpius like her all the more. He couldn't imagine ever liking a girl without a single visible flaw- Hugo had idolised the supposedly perfect Meera for ages after all and look what had happened there. Somehow, the fact that Rose _wasn't_ perfect and made a point of showing it ironically enough made him realise that she was just perfect for him. In so many ways.

"It's alright," he said with a rueful smile.

"I'm now giving you 100 percent of my attention," Rose told him brightly, "honestly, Scorp. Now, what did you want to talk about?"

**…**

"Weasel."

"Malfoy."

"Malfoy."

"Potter."

"Ron."

"Harry," Ron broke into a smirk. "Hey, we've been talking to each other for ages already."

"I know, I just didn't want us to be left out of the melodramatic greetings," Harry said drolly, his eyes twinkling.

"Get a life, Potter," Draco smirked.

The three men clinked goblets in a more genial, polite greeting. "Good spread your mother has put on for us all, Weasel," Draco told him appreciatively, eyeing the plates filled with delicious food and then helping himself to a thick ham and mustard sandwich and placing some warm cheese and bacon quiche on a plate.

"She's a bloody good cook," Ron agreed from around his mouthfull of cold chicken leg; "I'm eating my fill here, Merlin knows what concoction 'Mione will try and feed me tomorrow night. She said something about trying out this new lamb casserole..." his eyes were pained and even Harry winced in sympathy.

"Tough luck mate, I'll save you some of our leftovers if you want. Ginny can plate them up for you if you can think of an excuse to come over..."

Draco smirked at the turn of conversation- the knowledge that Granger was a terrible cook made him feel remotely better- she _wasn't_ good at everything after all. At school he'd always thought she was. He was discovering actually, that the golden trio weren't really what he'd thought them to be at all and he found that he quite liked it.

Take the Weasel for instance: undoubtedly lousy table manners, fairly good (though you'd have to _Imperio_ Draco to get him to admit it publicly) at Quidditch commentary and he also seemed to have a penchant for bizarre sounding muggle cartoons, if his new strange conversation with Potter was anything to go by.

Potter: bloody good Auror, much as he hated to admit that too, though it had certainly saved _his_ skin enough times. He seemed to have passed on the messy-haired gene to he and the Weaselette's offspring and apparently he was still adored as the Golden Boy by his former teachers judging by the way McGonagall treated him so reverently. It was somewhat sickening, though Draco could reluctantly admit that he almost- though not quite- actually _liked_ Potter now. At a push, he would even class them as _friends_, though that was another thing he would never admit publicly. He still had a reputation to maintain after all.

Weaslette 2 (nee Granger): couldn't cook apparently, she was always nice to his son (which he would forever be eternally grateful for) and her hair was looking slightly better these days. Yep, that was about all he could say about her at the moment. At least he didn't think of her as a Mudblood anymore. It still made him flush with shame to realise how wrong about things he'd once been.

"You heard from Lucius at all?" Ron asked him, almost as if he was reading his trail of thoughts, as he gnawed the final bites of chicken from the bone and then started on a crumbly slice of cornbeef pie.

From anyone else, the question would have been nosy, but after what the trio had done for him and his son, Draco felt surprisingly comfortable in answering as he swallowed his last bite of sandwich. "He tries to write me letters but he's on so many pills that they aren't really lucid- more rambling really. I send them back to him without opening them now. He's in a psychiatric ward and they monitor him twenty four hours a day I think. He can't even take a piss in private."

"Good," Harry said simply, reaching for another glass of mead.

"It _is_ good," Draco realised now- only his smile was bittersweet; "and I'm really glad."

**…**

"So, what exactly did you want to talk to me about, Scorp?" Roses' expression was teasing; "what warrants sneaking me away from my family? A secret mission? Do you want me to hide in your suitcase and come to Sudan with you?"

_Hmm, not a bad idea, that._

Scorpius was having immense difficulty in forming a coherent sentence and could only stutter and try to ignore the perspiration that was already beading on the back of his neck. "Um… I---well—"

"Scorp?" Rose asked him, looking worried.

"Rose, the thing is…"

"Yes?" she asked.

"I---the thing is---I--I love you," he stammered, his voice hushed and fearful- and then he hung his head feeling his own cheeks drain of what little colour they had, scarcely unable he'd just blurted it out like that. _Merlin, that's the kneazle out of the bag now._

He waited expectantly however, his fists curling, trepidation mounting in him and his heart in his mouth, desperately wanting her response. He half expected for the sky to fall, a hex to be thrown at him, anything or everything and momentarily the ground tilted beneath him as he tried to regain control of his sporadic breathing. Merlin, he'd actually done it. He'd actually told her.

He couldn't believe it.

He wanted to be sick.

He wanted to run away and hide.

He did neither however, he was rooted to the spot.

To his surprise however, Rose smiled and then giggled as she playfully pushed at his arm; "oh Scorp, I love you, too."

Scorpius felt immense hope rising in him as the dark clouds began to lift all of a sudden and all at once he could move again. "Y—you do?" he stuttered, dumbstruck, taking a couple of steps forward and unconsciously reaching for her hands.

"Of _course_ I do! You're my best friend, silly!" Rose hugged him tightly instead as she laughed merrily, "I love you to pieces." Her hug however, was merely as friendly as it always was and Scorpius realised with a heartbroken pang that she'd gotten entirely the wrong end of the stick. As usual. _Oh Rose._

His throat constricted in anguish. _No. No. Please listen to me. Really listen to what I'm saying._

Disappointment welled in him along with an incredibly sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that she'd clearly misinterpreted what he'd just said, or rather stammered to her; "Rose, that's not what I----"

"Rose!" Mrs Weasley's voice floated across the garden towards them, interrupting him mid-sentence, "Victoire and Teddy are here- come and say hello!"

Rose smiled at him, seemingly not noticing the distress on his face or the exasperation in his eyes; "are you coming too?" she asked brightly.

Scorpius was still struggling for control, hardly believing that she'd misunderstood his intentions when it had taken such a mammoth herculean effort for him to finally say it after so long; "no… I—I just need a minute." _To recover. To try and make sense of this._

"Ok," Rose gave him another amiable hug before scurrying off to her relatives.

Scorpius' heart sank in despair as he slumped to the nearby wooden bench and watched her as if in a daze. What in Merlin's name was he supposed to do now? He'd told her and she hadn't understood his meaning. Of _course_ they loved each other, they were best friends.

Best friends _should_ love each other.

_I phrased that completely wrong, _Scorpius realised bleakly as he put his head in his hands, wanting to hex himself for being such a foolish idiot as the disappointment swirled in his stomach; _I _should_ have said 'I'm IN love with you.'_

Hindsight was simply a wonderful thing, wasn't it?

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **Hmmm, anybody else get the impression that Rose may actually need it SPELLING out for her? :) Poor Scorpius! Needless to say, I'm pretty sure she's going to figure it out VERY soon...

_Next chapter: _We jump forwards several years and Scorpius spends a little time in Paris… ooh la la.


	24. Je t'aime

**Je t'aime**

**Disclaimers: **See ch1

**A/N:** Um warning, another long chapter! I just couldn't split this- sorry!

* * *

**_Six__ years later, Paris, France…_**

As the Eurostar train slid smoothly into Gare Du Nord station, Scorpius grinned and hefted his luggage from the rack above his seat, trying to quell his mounting feelings of excitement and expectation.

_Finally, he was here!_ As he quickly pulled down his travel bag and pulled on his jacket, he had to consciously remember not to use a levitating charm, not with all these muggles seated around him. Scorpius realised though, that his brain was so distracted at the thought of seeing Rose again, it was a supreme effort to actually try and act like an inconspicuous muggle for once, though he'd been more than accustomed to the pretence for years now. Ever since he'd attended and graduated from Oxford University with a Masters in Chemistry, infact.

_Rose..._ Scorpius smiled goofily at the very thought of her, notions of muggles and levitating charms long forgotten.

It had been five and a half months since he'd last seen her, as they'd both been incredibly busy with work lately. Five incredibly long months during which he'd done nothing but think about her, dream about her and think about her some more. Lysander, back from his most recent trek to Peru had disgustedly told him he was 'pining' and in a way Scorpius supposed he was. It was getting a bit ridiculous actually. Somehow everything he did or saw related back to or reminded him of Rose in someway. Especially the colour red- like her vivid curly hair, or the blue of the sky- a cornflower colour just like her eyes. And there were a LOT of things in the world that happened to be red or blue, he thought ruefully.

Scorpius hated how sappy he was getting but he knew with unfailing certainty that it wouldn't be for much longer.

He was finally going to tell her the truth: the way he really felt about her. No stammering (well maybe a little bit of stammering) and no mis-interpretations this time. He _had_ to tell her for his own sanity if for nothing else. He'd been thinking about it for months and months now- the timing seemed to be right this time. His mail-order potions-brewing business was up and running successfully (he'd spent some of his inheritance from his mother on setting up the basics and had rented a small flat in Diagon Alley across from WWW) and Rose seemed happy enough working at the backstreet apothecary in busy St Germain, where she was now assistant manager, much to her mum and dad's pride. Scorpius though knew that he could work from anywhere and he also knew with unfailing certainty, that if Rose said the words he wanted so desperately to hear, he could be over in Paris in a heartbeat.

Hope welled in him but then just as quickly fizzled to a nervous flutter. That was a big _if _he knew. He was already making hazy plans for a future that still seemed incredibly uncertain. After all, Rose could feel absolutely nothing for him but friendship.

Scorpius truly didn't think that was the case- at least he hoped not, he thought feverently, checking his luggage one final time before departing the train. He honestly wasn't being big-headed, but some miniscule, very tiny fibre of his being told him that the looks Rose cast at him sometimes when she thought he wasn't aware of it _weren't _just friendly glances. Nor was the way she sometimes flushed prettily if he leaned in close to whisper something in her ear as he had a particular habit of doing. That he'd admittedly made a BIG habit of doing over recent years, just to get that very promising reaction from her.

Always at the back of his mind though was something Rose had said after Lorcan and Meera's infamous break up; "_that's exactly the reason why friends shouldn't go out with other friends._" The words had constantly haunted his thoughts, always preventing him from voicing his true feelings for her, aside from his one _disastrous_ attempt at the Burrow that summer years earlier, but that wouldn't be the case any more. Not now.

If he didn't tell her, he would burst. He had to tell her the truth. He _needed_ to.

"Scorp!" as he stepped onto the platform and out through the strange muggle barriers dividing the Eurostar platform from the rest of the vast bustling station, he could see Roses' beaming face and his heart positively swelled at the sight as he hurried towards her.

Merlin, she looked incredible, he realised as he hungrily drank her in. Dressed in faded muggle jeans, just like him and a plain vest t-shirt, a bag slung over one shoulder and with sophisticated sunglasses propped up on the top of her head, she looked sophisticated and elegant. For one brief moment he was reminded of the gawky teenager with braces and frizzy hair and had to blink- Rose Weasley was certainly all grown up now.

He dragged his luggage towards her and she practically leapt on him with excitement, throwing her arms around his neck causing him to drop his cases with a thump; "you're here! At last!" she exclaimed. "Gods, I feel like I've been waiting forever for you!"

Scorpius certainly knew _that_ feeling.

His senses were assailed with the familiar scent of apple shampoo, a fresh perfume that smelled like delectable strawberries and something else that was uniquely Rose, as she buried her face in his shoulders. "I missed you tons," she said happily.

"Ditto," he responded, pulling her tighter and quite unwilling to let her go for a few seconds longer.

When Rose realised that she near enough had her legs almost wrapped around his waist, she let go of _him_, flustered. "Oh—oops, sorry…" she apologised, turning pink.

He laughed as she untangled herself from him with that awkward blush that suggested that no matter how sophisticated she might look now, she was still a Weasley on the inside at least; "that's alright..." and it was, of course. Rose could greet him like _that_ anytime she wanted to as far as he was concerned.

He followed Rose out of the station, by-passing crowds of commuters and tourists struggling with their luggage. Luckily he wouldn't have that disadvantage for much longer as Rose soon found a quiet alcove nearby, free from any presence of muggles and quickly shrank his trunk down for him, popping it in her bag.

"What do you want to do first?" she asked him eagerly. "We could sightsee or go for a walk or go back to my flat for a while---" her eyes brightened, "or we could go and get some lunch. It's almost noon."

"Lunch," Scorpius said promptly, knowing that was what Rose and what her stomach clearly preferred; "is that café still there that we went to last time? The one with the stuffed cabbage and those brilliant sandwiches?"

"Le Reveil?" Rose smiled in recognition, "of course, it's practically a Parisian institution!"

Scorpius and Rose walked through the busy streets to the cosy little bistro as she threaded her arm easily through his. "I've got so much planned for these next few days," she exclaimed chattily, "but first- tell me all about how your potions business is going! I want all the details you leave out in your owls. Right down to the boring nitty-gritty you've neglected to tell me about so far. It must be simply brilliant being your own boss."

There was lots to talk about indeed. Over lunch the pair of them caught up, never once running out of things to say. That was the great thing about such close friendships- indeed, on more than one occasion they even found themselves finishing off each others sentences and bursting into amiable laughter.

"Ooh, I didn't tell you the other news," Scorpius grinned as he ate his last cheesy bite of croque-monsier. "Meera and Hugo…" he let his voice trail off, expectantly, raising a pale eyebrow dramatically. He could be as theatrical as his dad when he wanted to be, could Scorpius.

Roses' eyes widened in optimistic disbelief; "what? Are they..?"

Scorpius snorted as he wiped his fingers on a paper serviette, dropping the dramatic tone. "_If only_. Nope. Your brother is _still_ playing the perpetual bachelor- even my _dad_ is proud of him."

Much to everyone's amusement, Hugo had been taken on in the Improper Use of Magic Department upon graduating from Hogwarts and now worked for Scorpius' dad. It was a fitting career for the younger Weasley, who found he enjoyed his new role immensely. He'd briefly dallied with the idea of training to be an Auror like his Uncle Harry- his grades were certainly more than acceptable, but his new job certainly suited him. Draco too, was fond of him _and_ amused by his tactics with women. Like Ron and Draco did now, Hugo also got on surprisingly well with his father.

Rose smirked as Scorpius continued his little tale; "well, whenever we all go out, Meera is all over him. Seriously, she hangs on to his every word, a bit like he used to do with her at school actually- it's a complete turnabout and its as funny as anything. He seems to be enjoying the attention but he won't act on her advances even though we all reckon he wants to. I still think he doesn't trust her even though he's obviously _still_ in love with her." He rolled his eyes with amusement.

"It's been _years_!" Rose exclaimed in exasperation, failing to see the irony in her argument, "Lorcan is well and truly out of the picture now, up in Edinburgh and all, and Meera is _still_ showing interest in Hugo. Honestly, what is with my little brother? Does he need it spelling out for him?"

Scorpius snickered and hid his bemused smile in his glass of iced water. "Maybe it runs in the family…"

"Pardon?"

"Nothing."

**…**

After a relaxed but filling lunch, Scorpius suggested that the pair of them walk off their meal, which was why the two of them found themselves walking the 3eme and 4eme arrondissements, some of the oldest neighbourhoods in Paris, admiring the eclectic mixture of genteel mansions and trendy boutiques and bars. They'd decided by mutual agreement to save the _really_ touristy stuff for the next couple of days and were having more fun just talking as they walked. Scorpius was providing an amusing commentary on life back in London- and Rose, though she smiled as he retold a funny story about his father and _her_ uncle and father on a night out at the Hogshead, was feeling homesick all of a sudden. She missed her family and friends there tremendously, much as she loved Paris and her job and life here. She missed Scorpius most of all of course.

It was getting into late afternoon when the pair of them finally found a quiet spot in a dingy back street and apparated to Roses' flat, tired but clearly happy. Scorpius wasn't surprised at what a brilliant day it had been, it actually seemed rather fitting for his intentions that evening as it happened. He would talk to Rose _tonight_, tell her the truth straight away and then hopefully the two of them could spend the next few days making up for lost time with lots more happy memories. _Lots_ of lost time needed making up for after all…

He smiled nervously at the thought.

"Are you hungry?" Rose asked him hopefully as she bustled around her cluttered living room, shifting aside potions magazines and making some space for him to sit down. "Sorry, I _did_ clean up for you its just I have a lot of potions magazine subscriptions and the owls always seem to come in on the same bloody day..."

"I can still taste lunch!" Scorpius grinned in answer to her question, amazed at her capacity to eat so much and not put any weight on.

Rose looked disappointed for a split-second. "Oh."

Scorpius hastily amended; "but I'm sure I'll be hungry again soon." He patted the squashy cushion beside him on the settee anxiously. "Come and sit down. I-I'd like a chat actually." _Merlin, what was that I said about not stammering?_

"Of course," Rose sat down beside him, rubbing her sore feet. She'd worn elegant boots for some reason; they made her legs look longer and thinner at least- but she wished she'd been sensible enough to wear trainers. _They_ didn't give her blisters.

With a knowing smile at her discomfort, Scorpius cast a quick pain relieving charm at her and she smiled gratefully as she ran her fingers over the now soothed heels of her feet. "Aaah, bliss..." she groaned, her eyes rolling back in her head.

Merlin… when she closed her eyes and sighed in ecstasy like that… Scorpius gulped and tried to ignore it. He wouldn't be distracted again. Not this time. No siree.

"So I've been thinking," Scorpius ventured quietly, trying valiantly not to let his voice wobble with nerves; "about a lot of things actually but mainly about you and me…"

Rose sat back on the comfortable settee and regarded him, the soles of her feet long forgotten at the intensity in his voice; "ok, so what's up, Scorp?"

"Well, see, um the thing is…" Scorpius fiddled with the collar of his shirt; "I was wondering if uh—well Rose, you see, we had a brilliant day today didn't we?"

"Of course," Rose said simply, "we _always_ have a good time together Scorp."

He brightened; "I'm so glad you said that Rose because I think that personally, a really strong friendship is the foundation for---"

To his immense annoyance, the sudden loud cracking noise coming from the other room signalled that they _weren't_ alone anymore. He frowned. Who could apparate in and out of Roses' place like that? He knew she had the wards down for her family and for him of course should he actually have the time to long distance apparate to see her, but who else?

"Are you expecting anybody?" he asked, irritated by the interruption as Rose jumped up to greet whoever had clearly just rudely apparated into her kitchen like that.

"Someone I want you to meet," Rose said brightly. To his surprise, her cheeks were flushed somewhat as she departed. "Just a second Scorp, then we can finish off our chat, ok?"

Crestfallen, Scorpius watched her exit the room. He'd been so close. So bloody close to just telling her everything, he'd been waiting for eight years but all of a sudden he felt like he couldn't wait another single second. Anticipation fizzed in his veins and he clenched his fists, mentally commanding himself to calm down. He was almost there. He'd nearly done it. Not long now. Once she got rid of her guest, it would all be fine. They could go back to their talk and he could tell her everything. It wasn't quite the romantic ambiance he'd hoped for, but it would be alright. At least he hoped it would.

He could hear low voices coming from the next room he realised now- faint murmurs. One of the voices was clearly Roses' but to his consternation, the other sounded decidedly… male. He tilted his head uncertainly and suddenly wished he had a pair of extendable ears with him. Where was Lorcan Scamander when you needed him?

Scorpius very worst fears were confirmed when Rose soon reappeared in the doorway, her arm linking that of a very handsome dark haired man who smiled cordially at him in greeting.

"Scorp, _this_ is Jaques," Rose announced brightly, pulling the other man forward into the living room with a big beam. "He's so been looking forward to meeting you. I never stop talking about you, he probably feels like he knows you already!"

"Jaques?" Scorpius asked uncertainly, his stomach twisting in bitter uncertainly as the brown haired man extended a polite hand towards him with a genial smile.

"My boyfriend."

Scorpius looked from a smiling Rose to Jaques, then back again in total disbelief as the bottom fell out of his world.

**…**

Scorpius wasn't acting like himself _at all_, Rose thought worriedly two days later as the two of them walked in silence down the Champs Elysee, their planned destination the Arc d' Triomphe. They'd been sightseeing for most of the morning but admittedly she wasn't having fun, even though she usually loved walking around the city with Scorp who always kept up an amusing commentary on the things and people they passed. They walked quickly today though, both distracted, bypassing crowds of tourists and she almost struggled to keep up with his long stride, wishing to Merlin that he would just talk to her.

He was almost sullen actually and she was really concerned about him, she hadn't seen him retreat into his shell like this for a long, long time, since after his mum's death and before Lucius trial infact. She wanted to know what was wrong with him but she knew instinctively that he wouldn't tell her, judging by the icy glances he kept casting at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Actually, he was irritating her a bit if she was honest; he'd been unnecessarily rude to Jaques when he'd met him the other evening, causing the other man to make his excuses and leave right after the incredibly stilted dinner the three of them had shared- and Jacques felt awkward around _him_, she could tell. She wondered what had caused the sudden shift in Scorpius' demeanour; he'd been fine at first, at least with _her_ anyway- telling her those amusing stories about Hugo and Meera and catching her up with all the UK gossip.

Finally she spoke, unable to bear the terse silence; "why don't you like Jacques?"

Scorpius lifted his head startled at her confrontational tone; "what gives you _that_ idea?" he questioned uncomfortably.

Rose gaped at him in disbelief and stopped walking, heedless of the crowds that milled around them as she placed her hands on her hips; "oh I don't know, maybe the fact that you were really rude to him when you met him that first night and since then you've acted like a total prat whenever he's around. He was trying to be nice to you! He cooked a meal to welcome you back to Paris and it was _his_ idea. He's a brilliant chef and—"

Jealousy coiled like a serpent in Scorpius' stomach; "I don't like foie gras. It's cruel."

"You like coq au vin," Rose said pointedly, choosing to ignore that stupidly sulky remark, "but you just pushed it around your plate. I don't think you even had a single bite. It was really rude." The memory of that uncomfortable dinner flooded back to her now; "he was trying to be nice to you. I told him that was your favourite meal."

Scorpius bit his lip, even more unsettled by her thoughtfulness; "oh," he said meekly, feeling even more of a fool.

How could he tell her what was _really_ troubling him? He couldn't, not now. He couldn't tell her that he was more jealous of Rose and Jaques than he'd ever been in his life before and that every single time he'd seen Rose brush a light kiss to Jaques' cheek or touch his hand that first evening whilst they ate dinner, he'd literally wanted to die.

Thankfully, one tiny beacon of hope was on the horizon in the fact they weren't living together _yet_, but deep down Scorpius felt it would only be a matter of time before they did and the worst part was: Jaques seemed to be a genuinely nice wizard, almost too good to be true infact. He was intelligent and handsome and most importantly, he clearly adored Rose. Plus, he was a brilliant chef to boot, working in one of Paris' finest Michelin star restaurants. He didn't use _magic_ to cook either; it was all down to pure talent. Scorpius could barely boil an egg without wrecking it somehow.

_All the more reason to hate him_, Scorpius thought sourly. Instead he shoved his hands in his pockets and continued walking, bypassing crowded café's and designer boutiques but barely noticing the masses of people milling around them, he was just so deep in thought.

Rose shook her head in annoyance and her blue eyes sparkled with hot anger now; "why are you being so juvenile about this?" she demanded, looking pained; "I really wanted you both to get along. You're both important to me. You could at least _try_ to like him, Scorp."

He was hurting her, he could see that and it made his stomach knot with anguish; "I didn't expect us to have company that first evening," he muttered, the excuse coming to him suddenly for he knew he couldn't tell her what was _really_ troubling him, "I just thought it would be you and me. I felt like the third wheel, that's all."

Roses' expression softened, clearly that wasn't something she had thought of; "oh. Scorp. I'm so sorry, I didn't realise… I was just so excited for you to meet him…" she looked guilty now too and if it was possible, Scorpius increasingly felt worse and worse as her evident anger at him drained away.

He bit his lip; "I'm sorry I was rude," he said finally, though he wasn't really, "I'll apologise to him if that helps."

Rose smiled, looking much happier as she squeezed his arm; "it would be a start."

Feeling relieved that she was no longer furious with him, Scorpius even managed a smile, slowing down his steps as they approached the magnificent archway. It was one of his favourite Parisian landmarks, for the architecture and engraving alone, even though it was becoming a real tourist trap as evidenced by the makeshift stalls set up nearby, touting everything from mini arc replica's to Parisian flags. He'd experienced something similar at the Coliseum in Rome for he had enjoyed travelling during his university holidays- and muggle commercialism always amused him.

Rose tilted her head as they sat down on one of the wrought iron benches nearby, just people watching like they always did and it was suddenly back to being familiar and relaxed with them once more. "You wanted to talk to me about something that first night," she remembered now, tucking a curl behind her ear. "But we got interrupted…"

"It's not important," Scorpius said with a wan smile.

"Are you sure?" Rose enquired, looking concerned and almost suspicious as she regarded him.

Scorpius nodded distantly, looking everywhere but at her. "I'm sure."

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

After Scorpius had lied and told Rose that he had felt like 'the third wheel' Jaques no longer joined them for dinner in the evenings- the food wasn't as good but he much preferred the company now. He didn't know what Rose and told _him_ and he found he didn't care either, though he _did_ wonder at Jacque's reaction. The important thing was that he got Rose all to himself again. Scorpius knew it was childish, not to mention selfish, but he refused to feel guilty. Jacques got to be with Rose _all the time_; he was only here for another three days before he had to go back to London, back to his real life.

His life without Rose... and it almost killed him.

It was Wednesday evening, his penultimate evening in Paris when it happened. Scorpius hadn't meant for it to happen at all and _he_ was just as surprised as anybody. Infact, he'd been remarkably well behaved recently. He'd refrained from making any childish, unwarranted comments about her relationship with Jacques, preferring not to talk about it at all, so why he had to turn around and suddenly kiss her was anybody's guess…

**…**

"Let's go out to dinner tonight," Rose suggested brightly as they got in from a busy afternoon of Petanque in the park and strolling through the Louvre's beautiful exhibits. "I fancy a steak from one of the bistros."

"Just you and me?" Scorpius asked hopefully, though after the past few days where Jacques had been conspicuously absent, he doubted he needed to ask.

"Of course," Rose said with a smile that warmed his heart. "I'll just go and get changed and we can go for muggle cocktails first…"

When she reappeared an hour later, Scorpius gulped and almost wished they actually _had_ someone else joining them after all, because with Rose looking like _that,_ he really didn't see how he was supposed to keep his hands off her.

"Tada!" Rose twirled and grinned with flourish, "what do you think?"

Scorpius' eyes raked down her long slender body, resplendent in the ice blue dress. She wore her hair back in an elegant chignon revealing an incredibly kissable looking neck and suddenly Scorpius just wanted to turn tail and run as his senses were overwhelmed by the sexy scent of her perfume.

_Apparate somewhere. Anything__, _he thought helplessly. _Come on brain. Think!_

Merlin. This was a mistake.

He tried not to visibly panic as he smoothed down his own dress shirt and tie. Instead he swallowed hard and even managed a smile, though it felt decidedly wobbly; "you look incredible."

And it all went downhill from there…

**…**

Cocktails in themselves weren't a bad idea, but followed by the copious amounts of red wine Rose and Scorpius _also_ consumed with their delicious meal, the two of them were decidedly tipsy when they finally left the tiny bistro in Le Marais. Stars twinkled overhead and the moon was bright in the sky, so it seemed perfectly logical for Scorpius to suggest a walk to digest their meal.

Rose giggled as they headed down to the banks of the decidedly murky Seine, slipping her hand through Scorpius' gallantly offered arm as he surreptitiously cast a warming charm over them. "I'm glad you're here, Scorp."

"Me too," he said simply as they strolled over the bridge and past beautiful Notre Dame which looked stunningly grand and austere at night. "I'm sorry I was so weird when I first got here."

Rose smirked as she elbowed him teasingly; "as opposed to…?"

"Hey!" he scowled, then grinned to show he hadn't taken offence. They walked in companiable silence for a while longer, then;

"Are you happy, Rose?" Scorpius asked her, seemingly out of the blue.

Dimly, Rose wondered at his line of questioning. "Happy?" she repeated blankly.

"With Jacques I mean," Scorpius ventured. Suddenly he regretted even beginning this conversation, only his tongue was running away with him all of a sudden. Maybe it was the wine talking. He wished he had some pepper-up potion to sober up with, but for once he hadn't thought that far ahead.

"He's a nice man," Rose said after a moments thought.

"But…?" Scorpius prompted, feeling hopeful all of a sudden. _That_ hadn't exactly been an affirmative answer. "Nice" wouldn't have been what _he_ was hoping for, should he have been lucky enough to be in Jacques' position.

"No buts," said Rose with a shrug.

Crestfallen, Scorpius bit his lip. He didn't know what he'd been hoping to hear either, but he definitely knew he'd been hoping for _something_ at least.

"_However_," Rose added mischievously; "I don't know if he's 'the one' if that's what you're asking me, but we have fun together."

"'The one?'" Scorpius asked uncertainly, wondering what she meant.

"You know, that one man who's everything," Rose said almost dreamily as she gazed up at the star flecked sky, wondering exactly how much alcohol she'd consumed to be spilling her guts like this. "Soul mate, kindred spirit… all that jazz. The kind of man who can melt me with a single kiss…" then she flushed hotly, looking incredibly embarrassed. "Um, maybe I've been watching too many muggle films or something. That sounded really cliche, didn't it?"

How on earth had Scorpius forgotten that Rose was a closet romantic? This was the witch who had devoured Pride and Prejudice at _least_ sixty times, not to mention all the other romantic muggle classics from the Ravenclaw common room. "You _don't_ love him?" Scorpius asked, valiantly trying to keep the hope from his voice yet failing miserably.

"No," Rose said almost sadly, "and I doubt he loves _me_, either. It's been months and we've never said it to each other yet. Truth be told, I don't know if I could ever love him like I should. And it's um, not a physical relationship or anything…" her cheeks were fiery red at that admission, but Scorpius felt further joy rise in him at the words, if that was at all possible.

"He must be insane," he said instead, gruffly, shoving his hands in the pocket of his robes, for they were just itching to touch her, for him to run his fingers down that smooth freckled skin of hers or to tuck a loose curl behind her ears. He was so accustomed to touching her, it had truly hurt him to know that someone else could get that chance. The knowledge that at least she and Jacques weren't intimate with each other either was a big boost to him. It didn't sound like a truly serious relationship at all. Not that sex was everything, but he certainly felt it was important in a loving relationship.

Rose looked surprised, then flattered all at once. "Thank you, that's a sweet thing to say."

_Sweet. _Scorpius winced. He hated that word. Almost as much as he'd grown to despise the word 'friend' over the last ten years, at least when it was made in reference to his relationship with Rose Weasley. Mere 'friends' was the very last thing he wanted them to be.

Rose saw the expression on his face; "what's wrong?" she asked, placing a concerned hand on his arm.

Scorpius didn't know what it was but as he was assailed by the fresh fragrance of the perfume mingled with that apple shampoo- or maybe it was just the gentle touch of her fingers- his self control suddenly snapped entirely.

"Merlin," he breathed out taking a shaky step back in fear and confusion. "I can't do this anymore, Rose."

Rose looked puzzled as he moved away from her; "Scorp?" she asked, bewildered, her eyes hooded with confusion.

"I can't—I can't pretend—"

"Pretend what?" Rose asked blankly, looking really worried now.

Scorpius knew that the alcohol was clearly impairing his judgement as his eyes desperately met Roses'. Otherwise he never would have taken a decisive step towards her, tilted her chin up to his face and pressed his lips hotly to hers.

**…**

_Merlin. What does he mean__ 'pretend?' _were Roses' thoughts as she watched Scorpius taking a step away from her, looking anxious and paler than she had ever seen him.

"Pretend what?" she asked him, concern welling in her. Maybe he was ill. Something was seriously wrong with him. That's why he was acting so bizarre lately... Wild scenarios raced through her head. She just didn't know what she'd do if something was the matter with Scorpius---

_That_ was when Scorpius kissed her.

It wasn't just a gentle kiss either. His lips were warm and insistent and Rose, even though she was shocked by the uncharacteristically bold, not to mention unexpected gesture from her best friend, could feel the passion emitting from his touch as his mouth moved fiercely against hers.

_Merlin. He's… he's kissing me like he actually means this!_

When his arms slid from around her waist to around her neck and he pushed her back a little against the wall and slid even closer to her- not moving his mouth from their position and if anything kissing her even more deeply, she realised that quite clearly, Scorpius DID mean it.

Feverishly, Rose clung to him and kissed him back, her head spinning in shock. She'd been kissed before, but she had to admit, _never_ like this. The notion that it was _Scorpius_ who was making her blood fizzle in her veins and her heart race uncontrollably scared her beyond measure but she knew instinctively that she needed this. She needed him.

She always had.

Scorpius finally pulled his mouth from hers, needing air, though he didn't release her. His breathing was ragged in the midnight air and his eyes were heavy lidded and languid. As they focused on her, his pupils dialated, he had to admit he was pleased to see Rose was looking just as flushed, her lips red and full from the onslaught of his kisses. When she opened her mouth to speak, no words came out.

"So now you know," Scorpius said huskily when he finally found his own voice.

"Know what?" Rose whispered, wetting her lips and fearfully meeting his eyes. She was almost afraid to hear the truth even as she sensed it coming.

"You know that I'm _in_ love with you," Scorpius said softly, almost beseechingly as his eyes searched hers. He should have been terrified to finally say the words again after so long, particularly given her reaction last time, but he found that after kissing her, being honest with her now wasn't so scary any more. That kiss had to have indicated something after all. She'd certainly kissed him back.

"In lo—_love_ with me?" Roses' eyes were huge and fearful and she realised that her legs were shaking all of a sudden. She was glad the wall was there for support.

"Yes, in _love with you_," Scorpius repeated almost impatiently. Surely she'd known on some level at least?

"But—but--- you can't be!" Rose protested in a half wail, her mind whirling in confusion. The thing that she had wanted for so long yet had always tried to deny- it was finally happening and it frightened her more than anything else ever had in her entire life.

Rose wasn't stupid- she'd worked out that she cared about Scorpius Malfoy as more than a friend long ago, right after Hogwarts infact and presumably when it was too late, only she'd never _ever_ expected him to feel the same way for her. She'd pushed her feelings to the back of her mind, concentrating on Paris, on her studies. She'd had boyfriends too- only ever meaningless flings of course, but anything to take her mind off her feelings for the one person who was closest to her in the whole world.

Africa had been the worst, Rose had felt- she'd dreaded him owling and saying he'd met some gorgeous exotic volunteer in the Sudan- though thankfully it had never happened. When Scorp had been at university too- that had been painful, imagining what he got up to there was her worst nightmare. Though if he had had girlfriends, he'd never talked about them too much. Rose had found it easier to live in denial and pretend he didn't have much of a social life there, for imagining that was far easier than dwelling on the alternative. Scorpius might have been shy, particularly in the muggle environment, but Rose didn't doubt that he'd be popular. His looks alone were bound to capture the attention of muggle girls, for Scorpius was _bloody gorgeous_. Unlike his father, he also showed no signs of losing his hair at any point soon.

_"Can't be?"_ he looked amused and he suddenly realised all his fear was gone and that he felt free- liberated almost; that kiss had surpassed anything he had ever expected and he knew that was why Rose was suddenly so afraid. Petrified even. "Care to elaborate on that one?"

"We're—we're friends," Rose stammered, looking stunned and frightened as she backed away from _him_ this time. "It—it would be detrimental to—"

"The best relationships are founded on strong friendship," Scorpius interrupted softly, tucking a curl behind her ear as he had wanted to earlier that evening and taking a step towards her, effectively trapping her back against the cold stone wall once more in the shelter of his arms. He was no longer afraid to touch her either and his graceful fingers brushed at her flushed cheekbones and she shivered, be it from the cold or his warm skin he didn't know. He remembered the warming charm he'd cast over them and imagined it was the latter. He was pleased to incite such a visible physical response from her.

"Scorp—"

"Rose," he stopped her with a gentle brush of his index finger to her still swollen lips; "I've wanted this- _you_- since I was fifteen."

Roses' eyes widened to impossibly large proportions as she sagged back against the wall a little in disbelief; "y—you have?"

"And this may be the old Malfoy arrogance coming into play here," Scorpius added tentatively, "but I think you want _me_, too, only you've spent so long trying to ignore it or being afraid, that it's scaring you now."

Rose couldn't deny it, nor could she voice her agreement. "Why now?" she burst out hotly; "why did you have to tell me now? I was _happy_, Scorp!" she ignored the insistent little voice inside her head that called her a liar. The little voice that sounded remarkably like the sorting hat and who piously insisted she would never be truly happy unless she was with Scorpius.

Something that Rose had admitted to herself long ago.

"With a bloke who you don't love and who doesn't love _you,_" Scorpius reminded her of their previous conversation firmly, "and Rose, I fully came here with every intention of telling you my true feelings on my very first night."

"The—the conversation on the settee," Rose remembered now, recalling his awkward expressions and uncharacteristic stammering.

"Right," Scorpius said quietly. "Then I saw Jacques---"

Roses' brain was hurting and her mind spun even more when Scorpius ventured boldly; "I wanted to tell you so many times over the years, but no time seemed right…" He exhaled his voice frank; "Rose, I did tell you once- at the Burrow, remember?"

"That—that was real?" Rose gasped, incredulously, the memories from that day hitting her almost as sharply as a slap in the face.

"It _was_ real but you didn't pick up on it," Scorpius said ruefully. "You thought I meant something else. Rose… it just feels _right_ to tell you now."

"_Now_ seems right?" Rose asked, meeting his eyes with palpable confusion written all over her face. "Why?"

"It seems a good a time as any," Scorpius said matter of factly; "I couldn't hide this any longer. Gods Rose, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you have this perfect life in Paris with a seemingly perfect bloke, but I think that if you look at yourself then you'll agree that as far as kisses go, that was pretty bloody perfect too."

Rose unconsciously ran a finger over her swollen lips; he was right. The kiss had melted her down to the very soles of her horribly uncomfortable shoes. None of Jacque's kisses- or anyone else's for that matter- had ever made her feel like that.

"I wanted to tell you when we were at school even," Scorpius added quietly, growing ever bolder, "but then you said something right after Meera and Lorcan broke up; _"that's exactly the reason why friends shouldn't go out with other friends"_ and it stopped me. I've always remembered those words."

Roses' eyes widened both in dismay and astonishment. "That—I didn't mean _us_!" she burst out hotly, furious with herself all of a sudden for being so completely stupid for so long; "I thought you fancied _Meera_! I was trying to put you off her. I was jealous because you---" she bit her lip, utterly mortified and unable to go on, clasping a hand to her mouth to stop any more honest but incriminating words from tumbling out, her expression panicked.

Scorpius seemed to sense her mixed up thoughts and fearful emotions even as his heart flooded with relief that she'd been jealous at least. _Even back then_. That told him everything he needed to know. The very air around them seemed to crackle with chemistry and suppressed feelings. He bit his lip and knew now what he had to do; "you need some time to think," he conceded simply as he finally stepped away from her, "to work things out--- I can give you that."

Rose swallowed dumbly; "you—you're leaving early? But—" She didn't want him to go, _not now! _Even as he stepped out of her personal space she suddenly felt hollow with loss. Her heart ached already.

"I'm leaving," Scorpius confirmed gently, regretfully; "I'll floo back to London now- there's a fireplace in a museum nearby I can use. Rose, look... whatever you decide- even if you decide that you want to make a go of things with Jacques, then I'll respect that…" it took every fibre of his being to force out that painful lie, but he didn't want to make this any harder for her than it already was. She looked so confused and stunned that it made his heart hurt enough as it was.

"…and I just want you to know, that you'll always be my best friend," he added quietly, lifting his eyes to hers; "always. You know where I am." He ran a caressing finger down the side of her freckled cheek, dropped a soft lingering kiss to her forehead and then apparated with a loud crack.

Rose, too shell-shocked to move or speak could only stare at the space where he had just departed, her eyes filling with hot tears of distress.

**HPHPHPHPHP****HPHPHP**

**A/N: **I will endeavour to have the next chapter up by next Monday just before Christmas- however I'm going to stay with family who don't have a computer, let alone internet access. Grrr. Provincial, much?! Needless to say, if it isn't up then, I will update as soon as I get back! It's already half written, so fingers crossed.

_Next chapter- __What will Rose do? _(Just to let you know, next chapter's the penultimate one and yep, its also long- only the epilogue to go after that!)


	25. Inevitable

**Inevitable**

**Disclaimer: **See CH1.

**A/N: **Whoo, so I did it! Internet café's rule!! Merry Christmas all! Consider this chapter my fluffy, festive gift to you and thanks for reading! :)

* * *

The very second Scorpius flooed back to his Diagon Alley flat, he realised that he really didn't want to be alone, because alone time would give him ample time to brood on Rose and what had just happened between them back in Paris. In his current semi-drunken state, that really wasn't a good idea nor an idea conducive to his sanity either come to think of it.

_Merlin, I've done it, _Scorpius thought bleakly as he stared around his flat unseeingly, _I've actually done it. After everything, after years of suffering in silence, I told her how I feel.... and I just left!_

Sickened he sat down with a thump on his settee, pushing throw cushions out of the way and burying his aching head in his hands with a groan. His head swam from excess wine and those bloody awful cocktails and he was surprised he'd managed to floo back to the right address at all given how tipsy he was feeling. He didn't regret what he'd done though. Far from it- but he regretted just leaving like that, even though part of him knew that was for the best; Rose needed time to think. To absorb his revelation. To decide what she wanted to do.

Scorpius lifted his head blearily as he ran a tired hand through his already dishevelled hair. "Dad," he said out loud, wondering why he hadn't thought of it sooner. Of course, it was the perfect answer: his father would make him feel better, take his mind off things, he was good at that. It was after midnight but all of a sudden Scorpius just wanted to go home. Back to Devon.

Ten seconds later, Scorpius had apparated to his father's cottage, hoping against hope that somehow, _some way_ his father would make him feel slightly less of an idiot.

**...**

"Rummy," Ron smiled gleefully as he lay down his cards on the wooden tabletop, "pay up chaps..."

"Merlin on a splintered broomstick," Draco gaped in visible disbelief as he tossed another galleon onto Ron's rapidly growing pile of coins with a disgruntled sniff, "how do you _do_ that, Weasel?"

"Calm down Malfoy," Ron said smugly as he blew on his knuckles and wiped them triumphantly on his robes, "you can still win your money back..."

"He has no chance," Harry said, also looking pissed off as his own coin joined Draco's, "you've wiped out half of the Malfoy fortune tonight, Ron."

Ron was looking proud; "I feel so... fulfilled," he beamed, sliding the coins into his robe pocket with glee, "my work here is done."

"Only because we were playing stupid infantile card games like sodding rummy," Draco sulked, "Hugo tells me that you are bloody terrible at poker. Perhaps we should try that one next."

Ron glared at him aghast, "is _that_ how you spend your days at the Ministry, Malfoy? Coaxing family secrets out of your employees?"

Draco was looking smug, "Hugo is merely very... chatty, that's all."

Ron looked huffy as he downed his fire whiskey, "hmph, I'll be having words with _him_. A father-son bond is sacred."

"Indeed," Draco said mildly, exchanging an amused look with Harry.

"You haven't heard from Scorp yet, I take it?" Harry guessed as he grabbed a handful of peanuts from the glass bowl beside him and then dealt the cards once more.

"I didn't think I would," Draco replied with a grin, "I'm sure he and Rose are having far too good a time to even think of things back in England. Let's hope so anyway."

Ron was looking mildly irritated however; "not TOO good a time," he said hedgily as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "No offence Malfoy- I know he's your son and all, but she's still my little girl at the end of the day."

Harry smirked at Ron's evident over protectiveness then jumped at the loud cracking noise from the next room, upsetting the playing cards. Ron choked on a half-swallowed mouthful of fire whiskey, spilling some on the table top.

"Who on earth would apparate here at this time of night?" Ron wondered, eyeing his pocket watch as he used his sleeve to mop up the spill, much to Draco's chagrin who tutted something about 'antiques' under his breath.

They soon had their answer. "Dad!" they heard Scorpius call plaintively from the kitchen, sounding distraught, followed by a crash and a muffled yelp.

Draco exchanged concerned glances with Potter and Weasel. "Merlin... something's happened," he got up, startled and worried. "He sounds drunk. Scorp?! I'm in here!"

He gaped incredulously as his son staggered into the living room, resting against the doorway looking more dishevelled than he had ever seen him. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was ashen. His robes were rumpled. More than that though, was the expression of utter confusion and anguish on his face.

"Are you alright?" Draco demanded, rushing to his side, wondering what on earth had happened to make his son consume so much alcohol.

"What happened?" Ron jumped up too, looking frantic as the next thought suddenly struck him. "Is it Rose? Is Rose alright?"

It was Harry who recognised the look on Scorpius' face as one of misery and uncertainty. "Easy Ron," he cautioned his best friend, putting a hand on his arm, "I think Scorpius has had a bit of a shock tonight."

Scorpius' eyes focused first on his father and then on Ron and Harry and the messy card table behind them. "I told her," he stammered blearily, falling limply into the nearest chair, seemingly not caring he had an audience. Alcohol was a wonderful anaesthetic to real life, _that_ was for certain.

Ron, Draco and Harry all exchanged looks of pure shock, instantly realising what he was talking about. "What?" Draco asked, wanting to be sure, mounting excitement rising in him.

Scorpius lifted eyes that were pure portals of misery to his father; "I told Rose that I love her," he groaned feverishly as he clung to his aching temples, "in Paris. By Notre Dame. I kissed her."

Harry and Ron's eyes were growing progressively larger. Draco was looking rather proud all of a sudden.

Scorpius looked up at Ron almost fearfully from behind lowered, bleary eyelids as if recollecting who he actually _was_ all of a sudden and scared he would be shouted at; "sorry Mr Weasley. I just couldn't hold it inside anymore, but I love your daughter. Really I do."

Ron sighed and knew the only thing that could make the poor lad feel better at this point in time. He'd been through all this woe himself with Hermione years earlier and knew the mixed up feelings very well unfortunately. "Harry, get Scorpius some more fire whiskey. A _large_ glass I reckon is best."

Harry nodded and obliged. Draco patted his son on the back as he sat down beside him. "What did Rose say?" he asked tentatively, not wanting to press him but sensing Scorpius needed to get it all off his chest.

"She was a bit shocked I reckon. I—I told her she needed time to think," Scorpius reflected miserably as he rubbed at his eyes. "Gods, I shouldn't have done that, should I? I shouldn't have just bloody left left. That means she can change her mind. I should have just waited around until I got an answer."

Draco smirked, "Malfoy trait son, always keep 'em hanging...." he flinched under Ron's heated glare. "Um, I mean... well, you know what I mean."

Scorpius quickly downed his shot of fire whiskey and put his head balefully in his hands, feeling progressively worse as he nevertheless gestured for another one. "M' sorry Mr Weasley," he said again bleakly, his voice slurred both by alcohol and exhaustion, "but I really do love Rose. Honest I do. I wanna marry her someday."

Ron sighed again as he refilled his own glass and took a big appreciative gulp. "I know you do Scorpius."

Scorpius' eyes were suddenly full of bright unbidden hope. "Do you think she might love me back?" he asked pensively, holding his fingers a mere millimetre apart and squinting at them drunkenly as he wobbled in his seat; "do you think there's any tiny _miniscule_ chance?"

Draco patted him gently on the back, straightening him up again and clinked his glass with Ron's; the pair of them had always known it would come to this one day and they were glad Scorpius had finally been brave and taken the plunge- no matter the outcome; "I suppose you'll find out soon enough son, you'll find out soon enough."

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

When Rose opened her eyes the next morning after approximately two hours of very unsettled sleep, she was feeling hung-over and confused. More to the point, she was feeling incredibly lonely. Scorpius had only been gone for a few hours, but even her flat felt empty without him snoring loudly enough to wake the dead next door. More to the point, _Rose_ felt empty too.

She gazed miserably up at her alabaster coloured bedroom ceiling for a few minutes, reluctant to get up and actually face the day. Somehow leaving the safe confines of her bedroom would make everything more real. It would mean that she'd have to face this head on. Rose just wanted to put her head under her quilt and hide.

She was frightened.

She had thought up until last night that everything in her life had been set out nicely. Her job was going well, she rented a nice flat in Paris and she was in a fairly amiable relationship with a nice enough bloke. One she didn't love, admittedly. There was the incredible homesickness for England of course, but she usually tried to ignore that.

Then in a matter of moments, Scorpius had turned her entire life upside down with that earth-shattering, toe-curling kiss. A kiss that had melted her to the very tips of her toes just like she'd always wanted, always dreamed about. Rose had instantly realised that somehow her 'nice' life that she'd been quite content with previously just wasn't enough anymore. No one should have to settle for 'nice' when they had just tasted what perfect could be.

Rose had been thinking about that kiss all night- about the passionate expression on Scorpius' face when he'd told her he was in love with her- that he'd been in love with her for years. The very notion caused her cheeks to turn pink and butterflies to flap wildly in her stomach. How had she never realised?

She was a fool. She could have had Scorpius' kisses a lot sooner.

Like she'd _wanted_ them a lot sooner. She could freely admit that now. Scorpius too must have been frightened too, but he'd been brave enough to admit his feelings. It was finally time for Rose to do the same.

Rose sighed despondently as she slid out of bed, her eyes immediately resting on the photographs on her bedside table- her and Scorpius at their graduation, her and Scorpius celebrating winning the Quidditch cup for Ravenclaw in their fifth year- his arms slung around her shoulders... she and Scorpius beaming from amongst the rest of their group of friends a couple of years earlier on a reunion weekend in Edinburgh to visit Lorcan at a muggle magic festival up there...

It was ALWAYS her and Scorpius, wasn't it? Rose smiled wistfully at her own stupidity as she traced his handsome face in the photograph, wondering why it was only now that she could clearly detect the look of adoration in his expression when he smiled up at her.

Rose somehow wasn't surprised to realise that she was smiling adoringly back.

**…**

Of course, there was one slight problem on the horizon: Jacques. Rose needed to speak to him and she needed to be honest with him, particularly given that they'd been good friends before they'd started seeing each other and he deserved to be treated with respect. She knew that until she had told him the truth and the way she really felt, she couldn't go and see Scorpius, even though she was positively desperate to go to London and have a long overdue heart-to-heart with him. She'd psyched herself up and was now growing impatient about it. The thought of Jacques actual reaction to her news however, caused Rose to immediately draw a blank. She could honestly say that though she knew him, she didn't know enough _about_ him to guess how he would take such a revelation.

Rose only realised now, that all along, he had never quite been the man for her, nice though he was.

It was 9:30am when she made a quick floo call to Jacque's apartment and asked him if he would mind stopping by to see her on his way into work at the restaurant. The Frenchman was more than happy to oblige and greeted her with a cordial kiss on the cheek as he apparated into her kitchen. No passion whatsoever. Rose smiled ruefully despite herself. Maybe this would be easier than she'd anticipated after all.

"I am surprised you wanted to see me this early!" he exclaimed as he met her eyes, "especially with your friend being so reluctant to spend any time with me at all…" he looked around the kitchen as if trying to seek out Scorpius.

"He left." Rose hadn't meant for her voice to sound quite so pathetic and miserable, but somehow it just did. Unwittingly, her eyes filled with tears as she remembered Scorpius apparating away from her last night on the banks of the Seine. That had hurt- even though she knew he'd only done it to allow her time to think. Think she had, all bloody night in fact.

"Left?" Jacques repeated, clearly startled at this information. "Why?"

"Jacques, _I'm_ leaving too," Rose said quietly, not daring to meet his eyes and unable to answer his question through the lump caught in her throat. "I'm so sorry."

"Leaving Paris?" Jacques repeated uncertainly. "For good? Rose- you love Paris."

Rose nodded, her lower lip wobbling as she spoke decisively; "I—I do love Paris," she admitted, "but...I've realised that in the past few days my heart... it belongs in England." _With Scorpius._

The latter words were unspoken, but apparently Jacques picked up on them anyway. "Rose," he sighed as he ran a hand through his dark hair, clearly trying to find the right way of expressing himself as Rose winced; "I cannot exactly say I am surprised by this."

Rose looked at him uncertainly for that was NOT what she had been expecting as she let out a breath, "w—what?" she asked, astonished.

"You breaking up with me so soon after your friend from London comes to visit you." Jacque's eyes were sharp and analytical, "and after he departs so suddenly leaving you this upset…"

Rose felt dangerously close to tears at the very mention of Scorpius leaving again and wished she could stop crying. She felt so bereft without him around and he'd been gone for less than a day. A matter of hours infact.

"He has hurt you?" Jacques said slowly, then his eyes turned soft, "or maybe he has surprised you instead?"

"I---" Rose swallowed at the vivid memories of the evening before and that earth-shattering kiss. "More the second one actually."

"I thought so." Jacques smiled gently and looked like he was considering broaching the subject of something highly important as he steepled his fingers together. "Rose, did you ever wonder why I never tried to move our relationship forwards?" he asked her carefully. There was no malice or derision in his voice, merely curiosity.

"Sometimes," Rose admitted carefully, knowing he was referring to their lack of intimacy and blushing. "I—I imagined it was because you didn't fancy me enough."

Jacques shook his head; "far from it, Rose. You are very beautiful and desirable. It was merely because I did not want to be second best."

"S—second best?" her voice faltered at his words.

"Yes," he replied earnestly. "Truthfully Rose, I was waiting for this to happen- for you to realise your feelings for your friend. Do not feel upset by my words but I know deep down I was always the substitute."

"Y—you were?" Rose stammered, shocked, though unable to deny it.

Jacques expression was wry. "Ever since I have met you, it has been '_Scorpius did this'_ or '_Scorpius and I once_…' or '_when Scorpius and I_…'" he smiled gently, "I do not think you were aware of it or even that all of your stories involve him in some way but it is obvious that the two of you are… how do you say it? Intrinsically linked."

Rose felt absolutely terrible that someone else who had meant a lot to her had to be the one to point this out. "I never realised…"

"I know," Jacques said matter of factly. Then he saw her upset face. "Rose, it is not your fault," he assured her. "I had a lot of fun with you. I am glad we spent so much time together and I would be telling untruths if I said I didn't hope you would have chosen _me_ instead of him, but I just want you to be happy. That is important to me also."

"I—I expected you to be angry," Rose said, amazed at his capacity for understanding, though knowing that was part of the reason that made him a good friend too.

"I cannot be angry," Jacques sighed simply, "I have expected this since the beginning which is why truthfully I did not let myself fall in love with you. That first evening when I was introduced to your friend, I saw how he acted towards me. He was jealous, yes? He did not eat my dinner and I am an excellent chef." His voice wasn't arrogant, merely blunt and to the point as was the way with many European men.

Rose nodded slowly. "Yes," she said in a small voice, "but I didn't realise it at the time. I just assumed he was being a prat. Merlin, there are so many things I'm only just realising now. I feel so stupid for never seeing things for what they actually were- looking back he made them so bloody obvious. I just didn't fully open my eyes."

"We can still be friends?" Jacques said hopefully next, "maybe one day I could come over to England and meet the people I have heard so much about? Perhaps see the Burrow?" he looked rueful, "I will stay away from Scorpius for a while, in case he tries to hex me however. I would prefer to have my testicles intact."

Rose smiled despite herself at his good humour; "of course we can still be friends. We started as friends- maybe that was always the way we were meant to be."

Jacques smiled wickedly and tilted his head to one of Roses' family photographs on the mantelpiece; "perhaps when I come to the Burrow I can meet this cousin of yours- Lily? She and I could also be friends. GOOD friends, yes?"

Rose swatted his arm even as she burst out laughing, glad there were clearly no hard feelings between them, though she felt sad at the thought of saying goodbye to him. She would miss his naughty sense of humour and mild manner, not to mention his cooking of course. "Bloody hell! I've not even _gone_ yet and already you're moving on!"

Jacques wiggled his eyebrows expressively as he eyed the picture of Roses' beautiful cousin; "This Lily—she does not have a male best friend who is in love with her? I will not have to fight for _her_ affections?"

Rose rolled her eyes as she waved her wand at the kettle on the kitchen bench, boiling some water for them to have a cup of tea, "nope. Just two older brothers to deal with instead. Really Jacques, I'm _hurt _that you've gotten over me so fast." Her smile said everything however. Now she could have the heart to heart with Scorpius that she realised that deep down she had always longed for. Her heart fizzled at the thought.

"It was inevitable," said Jacques contritely, not wanting her to feel bad, "the second I saw you and Scorpius together, I knew I had no chance."

Rose smiled nervously, "let's just hope he still feels the same way."

"It _is_ inevitable," Jacques insisted again kindly, and Rose realised that she was somewhat buoyed by his confidence. Optimism swelled in her as she slid the teabags into her chipped blue mugs and poured on the water.

"Well, I'll find out this afternoon, won't I?" Even as she smiled and chatted to her now ex-boyfriend, she sent out a silent prayer as she thought of Scorpius. What he could be doing now, where he was…

_Please let him still love me._

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

"Oh god…" Scorpius tried desperately not to throw up as he forced his crusty eyelids open. The room spun dangerously however and he quickly shut them once more, gripping the mattress and letting the sick feeling wash over him, breathing hard. Even his fingernails and eyelashes hurt. Exactly how much had he drunk last night?

The sickness quickly faded to be replaced by numbness instead. Gods. It hadn't been a bad dream. He really had grabbed hold of Rose, kissed her passionately, declared his love for her and then left.

He'd left.

"Merlin," Scorpius staggered to his feet, trying to let the dizzy feeling abate, though it was a futile effort. When he'd been a drunken student he'd never been able to recall his alcohol fuelled escapades or which girls he'd snogged on his campus, but now unfortunately he could recall with crystal clear clarity everything he'd said and done the previous evening, including staying up into the wee hours of the morning with his father, _Roses' dad_ and her uncle, spilling his heart to them over copious amounts of fire whiskey.

Hot embarrassment flooded him. Roses' dad would think he was a prat.

Hells bells, even HE thought he was a prat.

"Shower," Scorpius mumbled bleakly, eyeing the clock on his bedside table which told him it was well after lunchtime and that he should REALLY be up facing the day by now, which would be all good and well if he hadn't just felt as if his head had been hit by a bludger and his mouth like he'd swallowed a pair of old socks. He staggered into the bathroom and as he stuck his head under the cold spray he tried not to think about Rose and what she could possibly be doing now. He'd said he'd give her time and he would- all the time she needed- he just needed to try and find something else to focus on in the meantime.

Dressing in the slobbiest pair of muggle jeans he could find after his icy shower, a tatty old t-shirt from his university days and not even bothering to brush his hair, he slumped bare foot into his kitchen, highly unwilling to face the day. Gods, this was like waiting for non-magical paint to dry. What on earth would he DO with himself whilst he waited for Roses' decision? It could be days yet. Weeks even. He was stumped.

A piece of parchment from his father propped up on the kitchen bench fortunately solved the second problem of the day for him:

_Scorp- may I suggest several doses of pepper-up potion followed by a large, greasy fry up? I took the liberty of re-stocking your fridge when I saw you back __in the early hours of this morning, though I doubt you will remember me assembling the much-needed sausages and bacon from my own pantry as you were--- how do you kids word things these days? "Off your head?" I anticipated you would have a rather sore head this morning. I do like being right as you very well know._

_Love Dad. _

_PS; t__ry not to worry about Rose. What will be, will be._

_PPS; __if you are worried about the Weasel's reaction to last night don't be. He assures me that he was very much the same when he was trying to win the affections of Roses' mum. Remind me to tell you the full tale when you are adequately sober._

With a wry smile, Scorpius followed his father's advice- attending first to the pepper-up potion which tasted completely vile, though _did_ wake him up somewhat and took away the unwelcome feelings of nausea, and secondly locating a frying pan as he began "cooking" the most enormous greasy breakfast (or rather 'lunch') he could imagine- aided by his trusty wand of course. He was no Jacques The Master Chef he thought sourly, but as he tucked into bacon, black pudding and fried eggs with aplomb, he actually thought it was pretty good.

"Is that bacon and eggs I can smell?"

Scorpius dropped his fork in shock as he gazed into the green flames in the fireplace where Roses' head was bobbing merrily, her eyes focusing on him. He'd been so absorbed in spearing a rasher of bacon and lining his stomach with the grease dripping from it, he'd not even noticed the rush of green flame.

"Rose---" he stammered, gaping at her. "I didn't expect to see you so soon---" Understatement of the century. This was either good news or bad news, but for the life of him, Scorpius just couldn't work out which.

"Hi," she said softly, seriously. "Is it ok if I come through?"

"Um—yeah—yes—of course," Scorpius stuttered, pushing his plate to one side frantically, his appetite suddenly long gone at her solemn tone. He wondered how she was going to play this: the ball was in her court so to speak. Would she be casual? Aloof? _Gods_, nerves rose in his throat choking him.

"Brilliant, won't be a second." As Roses' face disappeared from sight, Scorpius realised belatedly, that he looked a complete fright. Red-eyed like one of those zombies from a muggle movie and with two days worth of stubble prickling his chin, not to mention his wet hair from the shower. Not good.

Really not good.

_Aaargh! _he thought, panicked, next looking down at his holey t-shirt, bare feet and grubby jeans. Rose had never seen him looking anything but supremely well-dressed in the whole time they had known each other, aside from in their pyjamas at Hogwarts or at the Burrow of course, but even then they'd been pure silk. Why did it have to be now? _Grooming charm- come on, what does Meera always use to dry her bloody hair after its been raining? Think brain- think! _He snatched up his wand and pointed it at himself hopefully. There was nothing he could do about the clothes but he could at least restore his hair to some semblance of respectability.

Too late. There was a roar of green flame and then Rose appeared in his kitchen grate, dusting ash from her clothes. By contrast, _she_ looked beautiful- her hair curly and shiny and dressed in a simple white jumper and black leggings. Then again, she always looked beautiful to him.

"Hi," she said again, her voice uncharacteristically shy. "Sorry to interrupt your breakfast, but it does smell absolutely bri---" Then she noticed that he was pointing a wand at his temple and her brow furrowed in consternation. "Um… Scorp... what are you doing?" she asked, eyeing him strangely. Gods, he wasn't trying to _obliviate_ himself, was he?

He let his arm fall limply to his side, looking crestfallen. "I look um, hung-over," he mumbled self consciously, "I didn't want you to see me looking like this. I look a mess. I've only just got up."

Rose was touched that it clearly mattered so much to him what she thought about his appearance, but like most Weasley's, her mouth had a bit of a habit of overruling her brain. "You do look like hell," she agreed tentatively, looking up at him. Then she blushed furiously; "oops. That didn't come out quite right." _I should really think before speaking, especially when it's something this important. _She cringed; _great start Rose. Maybe I should just obliviate us both. Besides, you _know_ you think he always looks gorgeous, even with red eyes and a holey t-shirt._

"I've _been_ in hell," Scorpius confirmed ruefully, raking a hand through his tousled hair and thankfully not taking offence at her words. "Ever since last night I regretted just leaving you... but I didn't know what else to do. I---I suppose I panicked."

"I know," Rose said simply. "I was caught on the hop a bit myself, actually. Unexpected declarations of love and all."

Scorpius wished he didn't look such a bloody slob as his cheeks reddened considerably, adding to the overall flustered demeanour. He was a Malfoy and like his father, prided himself on good grooming, excellent robes and all that jazz. The fact that Rose was here and she was seeing him at his worst ever and in awful clothes and with unkempt hair _really_ didn't bode well for him, not to mention their potential as a couple. Rose- whatever she'd been about to say would probably change her mind now.

"It was good that you left," Rose told him now, seemingly not noticing his embarrassment as he smoothed ineffectually at his raggedy t-shirt, "that you gave me time to make an informed decision I mean..."

"It was?" he asked her uncertainly, halting in his movements.

Rose smiled shyly, her cheeks pink; "um, dare I admit that with you around, I would have been somewhat... distracted whilst I was trying to think?"

Scorpius felt hope rising in him. She was smiling at him. That had to be good, didn't it? Not to mention that she was here a lot sooner than he'd expected which possibly wasn't as bad as he'd initially suspected. "Distracted?" he asked her anxiously, trying to steady his racing heart.

She took a step a bit closer to him. "Distracted," she repeated mildly. "You know, wanting more of those bloody brilliant kisses and all."

Scorpius' heart was in his mouth; "you mean---"

Rose was the one who took the initiative this time, by pressing her lips forcefully to his.

_Wow, _was Scorpius' first thought. His second was that he realised he had his answer.

**...**

"You broke up with Jacques then?" Scorpius asked hopefully as they finally broke apart for air.

"I broke up with Jacques," Rose confirmed softly, resting her head against his chest, "he wasn't exactly surprised, needless to say."

"He wasn't?" Scorpius was confused as he smoothed a red curl out of Roses' eyes. "He wasn't angry or anything? I would have duelled with him you know if I'd have had to---"

"Nope," Rose smiled ruefully, though the idea of two men duelling over her affections did sound rather exciting; "he said that you and I were inevitable. He knew straight away, that first night when he met you, he said. He realised it then."

"Oh," Scorpius looked baffled as he scratched his head, "well...then maybe he isn't such a bad bloke after all. _I_ wouldn't have let you go without a fight though. And I suppose thinking back, the coq au vin he cooked was actually pretty good..."

Rose swatted his arm and dissolved into gales of laughter which he contentedly kissed away.

"I love you, Scorpius," she murmured between warm, gentle kisses as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing closer to him.

He stopped kissing her instantly, his heart racing incredulously. "Say that again," he commanded, overjoyed.

"I love you," she repeated firmly, her smile bright, her blue eyes filling with happy tears when she saw how ecstatic her words had clearly made him, hangover and all. "Um, feel like another guest for breakfast?" she gestured to his half-eaten bacon and eggs hopefully and he beamed.

"Merlin, you can eat all the breakfasts here you want," he held her close, so so glad she was here with him; "every single day. And I bloody love _you_ too."

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

"So, are you ready to break the news to our friends?" Scorpius asked Rose, tilting her face up to his as they paused in the alleyway at the back of the Leaky Cauldron later that evening.

"Yep," Rose beamed. She hadn't stopped smiling all afternoon and her cheeks hurt from all the grinning she was doing of late, not to mention her mouth hurting from all the excessive kissing she'd also been doing today, but she didn't care. She was just too happy to think about anything else other than how ecstatic she felt. "I think a part of me has been ready for this for so long," she admitted shyly.

He was glad to hear her say it outloud; "you and me both, love..." he dropped a soft lingering kiss to her lips and then squeezed her hand feeling his stomach bubble with nerves as he realised they were about to tell their friends they were an item at last. It was slightly daunting though exciting too. He hoped it wouldn't affect the dimensions of the group too much. "Come on, there's no time like the present..."

"They're all going to be so surprised," Rose giggled as she followed him into the crowded pub, eagerly anticipating the looks of astonishment that she knew without a doubt would be on their friends' faces.

Scorpius privately wasn't so sure- they'd all known he loved Rose and since Hogwarts no less. However, he knew they'd actually be astonished that he'd finally acted upon his feelings at last. Admittedly, he was still surprised himself.

Scorpius was also glad Lysander was here and not off gallivanting in Peru or Nepal or who else knew where, so he could tell him the news about he and Rose firsthand. Lorcan too, was visiting his parents this weekend from Edinburgh, so the whole group really was together once more. It was like fate, he thought with a happy grin. Destiny.

The same could undoubtedly be said about he and Rose.

The group of friends were sat at their usual table in the corner Scorpius noticed straight away, laughing and joking over fire whiskeys and butterbeers- Lysander in the middle of telling one of his travel stories and Meera gazing avidly at Hugo who was trying hard to appear nonchalant though Scorpius knew he secretly liked the attention from the pretty girl. Thrived on it almost. He hoped they'd get together soon, though he was hardly one to talk. It was Meera who caught sight of Rose first however and she squealed excitedly as she leapt to her feet in a swish of glamorous gold and pink robes- a patented Gohil design.

"Merlin, Rose! What on earth are you doing here? Oh it's so brilliant to see you! It's been ages!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her in a huge hug. "Look at you- you're positively glowing! Paris must be doing something right."

Rose flushed and exchanged a shy glance with Scorpius who couldn't help feeling smug at the fact as he grinned wickedly back remembering their deep kisses of that afternoon. _Nope. Not unless Paris is a euphemism for... something else._

Hugo however merely looked baffled and then worried all at once as he greeted his sister with a jovial slap on the back. "Uh-oh, I didn't forget mum or dad's birthday, did I? You aren't here to hex me into next week for forgetting their wedding anniversary or something?"

Rose giggled at him as she hugged Meera happily; "no Hugo you idiot. Do I really need a specific _reason_ to come over and see my family and friends once in a while?"

Albus, Lorcan and Phillius exchanged sceptical looks. Lysander however was looking from Scorpius to Rose and then back again, his brown eyes sharp. Scorpius was the only one who noticed him arch a quizzical brow and see the slow smile spread across his face.

Bloody hell, how did Lysander _do_ that? Talk about perceptive.

"Budge up everyone," Lysander urged sweetly, encouraging the group to make room for the two newcomers, "I have a feeling that Rose and Scorpius have something to tell us."

Rose shot Lysander a sharp, suspicious look and then smiled, nah. He didn't know. Of course he didn't. Lysander merely smiled innocently back at her as she and Scorpius sat down.

"What's new, sis?" Hugo asked her, taking a gulp of butterbeer and gesturing for the barman to bring them over more drinks, which Scorpius visibly blanched at. He would never drink firewhiskey again.

Never. Again.

Rose looked up at Scorpius, barely containing her excitement. "_You_ tell them," she proffered, her eyes sparkling.

Scorpius smiled tenderly at her and then looked around the table, his eyes calm as he dropped the bombshell. "We um, well, Rose and I are together now…"

Scorpius met Roses' eyes at their friends silence as they gazed around the table. Maybe it was just shock but everyone was looking completely poker faced with blank expressions.

"Together…" Scorpius prompted again dubiously; "as in… seeing each other. That's why Rose came back. She's going to look for a potioneers job over here so we can be together, she's been homesick and well," he smiled bashfully, "she's really missed _me_, so...." his voice trailed off as he looked from Hugo, to Albus to Meera.

Nothing. No response from them whatsoever. They'd been expecting gasps of incredulity or at _least_ exclamations of happy surprise after all. The palpable silence was somewhat disconcerting to say the least.

The two of them exchanged crestfallen glances. "A relationship!" Scorpius finally prompted loudly, taking Roses' hand in his and entwining their fingers to get the point across. The motion of linking their fingers still sent little happy sparks through him. He wondered if that would ever fade, and found he hoped not.

Scorpius and Rose again waited expectantly to see the looks of shock on their friends faces but were completely amazed when instead, they all broke into gales of laughter.

Now it was Rose and Scorpius' turn to be shocked: laughter was certainly not what they'd expected in this instance.

"_Finally!_" Albus exclaimed with a huge grin, his green eyes flashing with merriment. "Ok, pay up, kiddies!"

To both of their astonishments, Knuts and galleons started being passed out freely across the wooden table top. Lorcan, Albus and Lysander seemed to be doing exceptionally well as they gleefully pocketed their coins.

"You—you _bet _on us?" Scorpius spluttered incredulously, finally realising just what was going on. The sickle had well and truly dropped.

"Is _nobody_ even surprised?" Rose burst out at exactly the same time, disappointment written all over her freckled face. She'd so been looking forward to shocking everybody with her new boyfriend, but to see that no one even looked remotely surprised was rather startling in itself.

"_I'm_ surprised…" Hugo spoke up from his comfortable seat beside Meera. Rose visibly brightened as she smiled at her little brother in relief, awaiting his response.

"…I'm surprised you managed it at _this_ early stage in life," Hugo smirked smugly, "the way you two were carrying on, I was thinking you'd be in your mid sixties before anything actually happened between you. Hey, would you still fancy our Rosie with _wrinkles_ and little old lady tights, Scorp?"

"Of _course_ I bloody would!" Scorpius protested hotly about to vehemently argue with him, then he realised too late that the younger man had actually been teasing him.

Rose blushed at the stout, public declaration of love but smiled prettily as she squeezed his hand, Scorpius flushed a deep scarlet at his own evident lack of wit and everybody else burst into merry peals of laughter eyeing the two of them, supremely pleased they'd finally seen sense. _About bloody time. _

"To Rose and Scorpius!" Lorcan exclaimed, holding his goblet aloft in a jubilant toast; "thank _Merlin_ for Paris!"

"Rose and Scorpius!" the others echoed, clinking their goblets happily as Rose snuggled contentedly in Scorpius' arms and he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead just relishing in the fact that he could now freely hold her close to him whenever and wherever he wanted.

**HPHPHPHPHPHP**

_**Three months later**__**, Scorpius' flat, Diagon Alley…**_

"You're so beautiful…" tentative yet gentle hands stroked the bare freckled skin of Roses's shoulders as Scorpius pulled the fluffy quilt tighter around them and sank back into the sheets, sweaty and sated. His fingers contemplated the path that they now trailed and he looked down at her, smiling.

"What are you thinking?" Rose asked him softly; "you have a little worry crease, right there…" she pointed to the middle of his otherwise smooth brow, running her fingertips over it tenderly; "I thought making love was supposed to relax you…"

She was rewarded with a whimsical smile; "I was actually thinking how silly we've both been," he admitted almost wistfully as he took her hands and gently kissed her fingertips, "we could have had this a long time ago, couldn't we?" by 'this' he clearly meant the rumpled sheets and the tender way they were holding each other, amongst other things.

Rose tilted her chin as he brushed a soft kiss to her forehead in a symbolic gesture that was becoming second nature to them- _this_ was also a conversation they'd had many times over the last few months, ever since she'd moved back over to England, thrown caution to the wind and declared her own feelings for him; "maybe so, but we got there eventually, though it's weird to think everyone _else_ saw it happening but us…" she rolled her eyes and smirked despite herself.

It still amused Rose to think that she and Scorpius' love life had been the focus of everyone's ardent attentions for so long and they even hadn't been aware of it. All credit to their friends for not making it abundantly obvious, though she doubted she'd have believed them if they'd have said anything- she _had_ been rather dense, hadn't she? It still embarrassed her to think of all of the times Scorpius had tried to say something and she either hadn't realised or had unconsciously put him off.

Rose wouldn't do that again. Ever.

Scorpius took a deep breath; "I _am_ going somewhere with this," he said hesitantly, uncomfortably aware his insides were swirling with nerves. He tried not to let his panic show, knowing that he'd already done the hardest part all those months earlier in admitting his feelings for her; "Rose, when you were away in Paris…being away from you for so bloody long, it made me realise that I _never_ want that to happen again, Merlin Rose, you were worth waiting for, but I never should have waited so long in expressing how I felt."

Rose sat up, pulling the quilt around her naked body as she eyed him with sceptical amusement, "what are you getting at Scorp?" she asked him curiously, admiring his smooth expanse of creamy skin as he reached over to his bedside table, fumbling somewhat in the cluttered top drawer. _That_ was a sight she'd never tire of, she knew. Scorpius, being with him right now and at this very moment was worth all of the heartache, the pain of missing him, because now everything in her world made sense once more. "I'll listen this time, full attention and everything…"

Rose then studied Scorpius more closely, perplexed; "Scorp, are you ok? You're sweating…" and she didn't just think it was from the bedroom work out.

Merlin, so he was. Agitated, Scorpius wiped at the beads of sweat beading his brow, chastising himself, though undeniably he _did_ have a reason to be nervous right now.

When he turned back to her, holding out the small velvet box, his hands were shaking and his grey eyes were more anxious than she had ever seen them. Trembling fingers lifted up the boxes lid and Roses' eyes widened to impossibly large proportions at the sight of the beautiful jewel nestled inside. Her eyes darted back to his face, utterly speechless for the very first time ever- well, the second time if you counted the night by the Seine in Paris.

"This ring… it was my mother's…" Scorpius began tentatively, swallowing hard against the nerves in his voice yet not quite succeeding in chasing them away entirely, "Rose, I love you, I have for so long now and I know this might be a little bit soon but to me it just couldn't come soon enough," his voice wobbled once more; "I um… I asked your dad for permission. I know that was the traditional thing to do…" He swallowed hard once more, wondering why she wasn't saying anything. Really, there was no misinterpreting _this_, was there? Maybe he needed to make this clearer. He took a decisive breath. "Um…"

Rose blinked in palpable shock, still not taking her eyes from the jewel that was now being held out to her with shaking fingers. _Oh Merlin. Is this what I actually think it is? _Tears of joy pooled in her blue eyes as she gazed at Scorpius, hoping against hope that it was.

"…Rose, will you marry me? Please?"

**HPHPHPHPHPHP****HPHPHPHP**

**A/N: **Aargh another cliffy, hehe. At least this was a fluffy one. I hope this made everyone happy and was worth waiting for! _Cliché?_ Probably. What do you _mean _'definitely?' Oh well, I know we were all hoping for a happy ending with these two. If you've followed the story this far, please stick around for the last chapter (the epilogue) which will hopefully be posted in the next week :)


	26. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

**Freckles**

**Disclaimers: **See chapter one.

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**The Burrow, 2036**

The Burrow looked simply beautiful in the warm April sunset. Mini multi-coloured lanterns were strung between the oak and peach trees, and fireflies flitted energetically overhead in a merry dance. There was the strong scent of honeysuckle and jasmine in the air, wafting lightly on the early evening breeze.

Even the usually-stubborn gnomes seemed to be on their best behaviour today, Rose thought with a little smile as she peered out of the crooked kitchen window at the unusually well-manicured garden outside. Maybe that was because her dad had threatened to 'hex their little balls off' if they put a foot wrong tonight. They had even helped him and Hugo to straighten out the overgrown lawn over the past couple of days, though grumbling incessantly all the while of course. Miracles would never cease.

Her gran and granddad had done them proud, she realised with a beam, noting the rose-adorned archway that stood proudly in the orchard, surrounded by waving pink and blue flutterby bushes. The white marquee was positioned nearby and she knew her Uncle George, James and Albus were probably already inside, having a cheeky celebratory drink before tonight's festivities _really_ got underway.

Rose pressed a sudden hand to her swollen stomach, feeling the baby inside kick energetically against her palm. "Ooof," she mumbled with a grin, "well, I definitely think you're a _boy_, flailing around like daddy does when he gets all impatient about something at the Apothecary. In fact, I'd bet bloody money on it."

"Still talking to yourself?" the sardonic voice sounded from behind her and she knew before even turning around that he would be wearing his trademark grin; "that sounds like a wager to me."

Rose arched a brow and blew a strand of curly hair off her forehead; "well... at least you've stopped calling me 'Weasley' when you get all patronising like that." She tilted her chin as she looked up into warm grey eyes that regarded her with amusement as he leaned against the rickety wooden doorway and pulled her reassuringly into his arms.

"Love, there'd be no point," he reminded her as he gently kissed her forehead, "you haven't been a Weasley for almost five years now."

"I'll _always_ be a Weasley," Rose reminded him affectionately, "deep down. Malfoy now or not."

"Which is why I'll always love you," Scorpius replied with a tender smile. His hand slid to her rounded stomach, "little one still giving you trouble?" Their first baby was overdue by two days already and he knew Rose was absolutely exhausted. Not to mention also slightly perplexed by her pregnancy cravings in the third trimester, which included bags of chocolate éclairs from WH Smiths and bags of pickled onion flavour monster munch crisps. Muggle treats she had _never_ much liked in the past and which Scorpius loved to tease her mercilessly about.

"Doesn't he _always_ give me trouble?" Rose said with an amused roll of her eyes, "it's a boy. I **know** it's a boy, despite what you reckon."

"How much?" Scorpius' eyes sparkled with pure mischief as he dug into the pocket of his robes to check his loose change.

"Scorpius Malfoy!" came the indignant sounding voice from behind them, "are you **betting** on the sex of your baby?"

Scorpius smirked at his father-in-law as he pulled out some galleons and raked his eyes over them appraisingly. "I'm not only betting on the sex of the baby, but when it _arrives_," he divulged with a wicked laugh.

"Oooh," Ron's blue eyes lit up as Phillius and Lysander turned up behind him with a grin, pulling out their own coins eagerly, "that's _interesting_."

"Ronald Billius Weasley!" Hermione's aghast voice broke into the furore, "you will _not _gamble over our daughter's welfare! Honestly, men have no idea how much giving birth takes out of you and—"

"I'm in," George appeared next with a grin, pulling out some coins as he straightened his dress robes, interrupting his sister-in-law with a good natured wink, "ten galleons says our Rosie has a girl and she has it on Friday exactly. No earlier, no later."

"She's going to have a boy," Ron interjected smugly, "and I bet _fifty_ galleons she has it by tomorrow morning."

Roses' eyes widened, as did Hermione's at the bold statement; "daddy!" she protested, placing an incredulous hand on her rounded tummy.

"No pressure or anything," her father added hastily.

"It's not often I agree with Weasley," drawled a voice from the doorway, "but I think in this instance, he's right…"

Rose turned with a smile and cast an affectionate grin up at her father-in-law, who had just arrived at the Burrow for Hugo's wedding, which he wouldn't have missed for the world. His blond hair was practically non-existent now and he was as bald as a coot, but he still looked as distinguished as ever in his elegant navy robes trimmed with silver. She brushed her lips to his cheek warmly, "I'm glad you could make it," she said happily.

"As am I Rose," he said matter-of-factly, inclining his head to the others, who nodded at him graciously, "Hugo has been driving me crazy talking about this ceremony all week- he's barely got any work done at all, not that that is unusual in itself," he rolled his eyes as the others grinned. "And if I may, I would like to _up_ the stakes on that bet," Draco concluded triumphantly, rummaging in his own pockets.

"What's your stake, Malfoy?" Hermione challenged suddenly, causing the others to suddenly gawp at her, wide-eyed.

"_Mum_!" Rose protested, spluttering, scarcely believing her mother had joined the contingent betting on her delivery date.

"What?" her mother said, blushing a deep pink as she tucked a brown curl behind her ears, "I just think it sounds an interesting proposal, that's all."

Rose sighed, relaxing immediately as Scorpius nuzzled her neck and whispered soothingly to her. Soon the kitchen was filled with Potter-Weasley's, all pulling out galleons and knuts. Even Albus and Julia's toddler, Grace, got in on the act, holding out a sickle to her great-granddad hopefully, though Rose suspected that her cousin had put her up to it of course. She smiled, bemused, as her little brother finally appeared at last, looking marginally stressed.

"I can't get this bloody robe to sit right," he said, sounding frazzled though looking smart on this, his wedding day, his red hair groomed neatly and immensely handsome in his dark robes. He eyed his relatives and boss, chattering away in the kitchen, looking confused.

"What's going on? Meera hasn't done a bunk, has she?"

"If she has any sense she's definitely legged it," James elbowed him with a broad grin, as Hugo stuck his tongue out at him impertinently.

"Meera's getting ready with her mum and aunty upstairs," Rose said soothingly, patiently straightening the dress robes for her brother and sounding serene, "and she looks beautiful."

"Yeah, I _still _don't know how you managed to pull her," Ron chimed in with a smirk, "after the debacle at the Yule ball in our fourth year; you would have thought her mum would have warned her off Weasley men entirely."

"It's my naturally charming disposition," Hugo bragged, as the others rolled their eyes.

"She's under the Imperious curse, isn't she?" Harry entered the kitchen next, followed by Lily, Molly and Ginny all of whom were looking excited at the prospect of another notorious Weasley shindig and the addition to the family. "Come on Hugo, you can tell us."

Rose watched her little brother's patient smile as he was teased by the respective members of their family and could hardly believe that he was getting married today, and to one of her best friends, the girl he had been in love with since he had arrived at Hogwarts no less. The time had bloody flown by and she sometimes found it hard to believe that she herself had been _Rose Malfoy_ for more than five years now.

Meera and Hugo had finally gotten together two years earlier, and as Hugo constantly said, it had been well worth the wait. Rose could remember the day almost as if it had been just yesterday...

**...**

It had been Rose and Scorpius' third wedding anniversary, the date was firmly etched in everyone's minds. The two of them had been immensely busy in recent weeks, setting up their _new_ apothecary in the formerly abandoned 'Slug and Jiggers' apothecary in Diagon Alley, using some of Scorpius' inheritance from his mother and some money they had received as a wedding present and had carefully stored away for such a prospect as this: the abandoned premises which had recently hit the market.

Brewing mail order potions from their cramped flat for so long hadn't been ideal, admittedly, though Rose and Scorpius simply loved what they did. The new premises however, would be perfect for them, though they were completely exhausted with setting it up. Scrubbing, polishing and restoring the dingy shop to its present glory seemed to have taken forever, and they were ecstatic when their friends suggested throwing a party for them in one of the private parlour rooms at the Leaky Cauldron, to celebrate both the new commercial venture and their anniversary.

Rose, with Meera's help, was getting ready in her and Scorpius' cosy bedroom at the flat. Her husband was downstairs with Hugo and Lysander, already having some celebratory champagne before they would join friends and family alike at the pub. She could hear the hubbub of voices and merry laughter from up here, as she slipped on her little black dress robes and excitedly combed her hair. After the stresses of sorting out the new shop, she was more than ready for some frivolity for a change.

Meera however, much as she tried to hide it, was looking slightly downcast. "Um, is Lorcan coming tonight?" she enquired hesitantly.

Roses' heart sank. She'd thought her friend was long over that little crush. "I think so, why?" she asked tentatively.

"Because I wish I'd never bloody gone out with Lorcan Scamander at Hogwarts," Meera burst out heatedly, "_that's_ why! Its wrecked everything and whenever he's around, your brother won't even look at me in the eyes anymore!"

"Try and look at it from his perspective," Rose said soothingly as she pulled her curls back into a sleek chignon and charmed them to stay twisted, "you were mad about Lorcan for ages after all and you _did _kiss Hugo to make Lorcan jealous that time. He probably thinks---"

"Kissing Hugo was the best thing I ever did," Meera confessed sadly as she set down her pale pink lipstick, "it made me realise I was an idiot for being so hung-up on Lorcan for as long as I was. I just--- for ages Hugo just seemed too young for me, even though I liked the attention he gave me of course. I was silly to ignore him for that reason. Then, at your leaving party it was like something clicked and I realised how bloody brilliant he was..." she smiled bitterly, "ironic, isn't it?"

"A bit," Rose admitted, wishing there was something she could do to help as she sat down on the bed and placed a comforting arm on her friends shoulder.

"It really hurts you know," Meera said, lifting her head now. Rose was completely shocked to see that her brown eyes were welling with tears; "Hugo goes out with all these other girls all the bloody time and it's like he makes a deliberate point of talking about them in front of me. About their dates... it's all 'Miranda this' or 'Isabella that...'"

Rose wondered just what her brother was playing at, acting like the proverbial playboy bachelor when there was a brilliant girl like Meera right in front of him. Then again, she and Scorpius hadn't been much better, had they? She'd been blind to _his_ feelings for long enough after all. "It's a Weasley trait," she said simply, "sometimes we don't realise what's just under our noses, that's all."

"You and Scorpius got there alright," Meera sniffled, wiping at her eyes.

"In the end," Rose pointed out with a little smile, thinking of her husband with a familiar beam and glint in her eyes, "but look how long _that_ took."

"I'm sorry to be so mopey on your anniversary," Meera flushed as she realised she was probably bringing a complete downer on the much-longed-for evening, "I think it's brilliant that you and Scorpius are so happy, really I do. I just---"

"You wish it was you and my brother instead," Rose supplied for her.

Meera nodded mutely and then spoke quietly but concisely. "I love him Rose. Really I do."

If Rose had been paying proper attention, she would have immediately realised that the hubbub of voices downstairs had instantly died down at Meera's last remark, but she wasn't. Instead, she gave Meera a kind hug and told her that she was sure everything would be alright in the end.

As it happened, she was right.

The two women clattered downstairs ten minutes later in high heels, their pretty Gohil designed dresses and looking glamorous.

"Ok Scorpius Malfoy, get ready to party!" Rose beamed enthusiastically as she burst into the living room and twirled around with flourish, "because I---" she stopped short at the palpable silence, eyeing the men suspiciously, instantly aware that something was wrong.

That was when she saw them, lying rather incriminatingly on the arm of the squashy blue settee...

Extendable ears, Mark III. The new Weasley's Wizard patent that Lorcan had been dilligently working on for months up in Edinburgh: this one had extra long distance hearing, through walls, doorways and even upstairs with magnified echoes to the audience below with an extra long string. It could even hear underwater... She recognised the opened bright yellow packaging and instantly knew what had been going on whilst she'd been getting ready.

She could tell Meera did too, for she looked stricken and all colour had drained from her pretty face as she halted in the open doorway, her eyes darting from Hugo to the packaging and back again and looking completely numb.

_Oh Merlin no. Did everybody just hear that? _she thought, agonised, her stomach twisting in shock and dismay.

Rose glared at a supremely innocent looking Scorpius, Lysander and also at the recently arrived Lorcan, the cause of this rather interesting new predicament, who were sitting on the settee and twiddling their thumbs. She could hardly believe they'd resorted to a cheap Weasley gimmick to eavesdrop on the two women's girl talk like that, when she usually told Scorpius absolutely everything anyway. There were hardly ever secrets between a husband and wife. Besides, she hadn't thought Meera's feelings for Hugo were exactly a secret after all.

Clearly she'd thought wrong.

Hugo was gazing at Meera looking completely transfixed, his blue eyes wide and his own face pale even under his freckles. By contrast, Meera was looking absolutely mortified that her declaration of love had been overheard so staunchly. Her cheeks were burning a fierce scarlet and her lips were visibly trembling.

"I—I should go," she stammered, taking a step backwards in alarm and grabbing a big handful of floo powder.

"Meera—" Hugo's voice was hoarse.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she sounded near to tears now as she frantically pulled on her cloak, "Rose, Scorp, I didn't mean to spoil your evening---"

Hugo grabbed her arm just before she was about to practically leap into the roaring green flames. "Don't leave---" he begged imploringly.

"I can't stay—" she babbled incessantly, "not after---"

"I lied." Hugo's direct voice cut straight into her stammering.

Meera's eyes lifted to his in utter bewilderment. Rose and the other's watched the scene with almost bated breath as it suddenly occurred to Rose that maybe this had been somewhat deliberately planned after all, judging from Lorcan's innocent but curious expression now. "Lied?" Meera repeated blankly, stopping fidgeting with her cloak instantly.

"About the other girls," Hugo was looking supremely uncomfortable. "There _were_ no other girls. Well, I mean there were, but I never did anything with them...." the tips of his ear were turning red at the admission. "Not like I said I did. I lied about all that to try and make _you_ jealous."

Lorcan and Lysander both winced in unison, like two mirror images. Rose and Scorpius exchanged startled glances as Rose slipped her hand into her husbands and his fingers twined around hers.

"You never..." Meera sounded perplexed now, "all those times? Never?"

Hugo shook his head and cracked his knuckles. "I just--- at the leaving party when you kissed me like that and it was to make _him_," he jerked his head bitterly in Lorcan's direction, "jealous... it really, really hurt. I'd liked you for ages and you were just using me."

Lorcan shrugged contritely before finally speaking up, "Hu, if it's any consolation, Meera and I were over a long time ago," his brown eyes were kind, "right about the time she kissed _you_ infact. We all saw it that day. It might have started as a ploy but it certainly changed course from that moment on."

Meera cast Lorcan a grateful look. The first genuinely considerate look they'd probably exchanged in years. Rose felt her heart warming at the notion that Lorcan had probably been planning this for a long time.

Hugo ran a hand tremulously through his red hair, looking doubtful; "I just--- I wanted to hurt you back," he confessed, his eyes meeting Meera's again, "but a bigger part of me reckoned that you didn't _really_ like me after all. I always thought you'd turn your attentions back to Lorcan in the end. It seemed easier to pretend I was a bloke in hot demand rather than spend any more time mooning over you when nothing could happen between us."

Meera shook her head wordlessly as Hugo shakily finished his speech, his voice somewhat wobbly; "I always felt like if we got together, I'd just be the poor substitute..."

The words reminded Rose of what Jacques had said so long ago to her in Paris. This time though, she could see they were clearly far off the mark. Meera's eyes had filled with tears.

"You were _never_ the substitute," she insisted firmly.

"You really love me then?" Hugo asked her, looking hopeful as he took a disbelieving step towards her.

"I really love you," she confirmed shakily, hiccoughing on a little giggle, relieved to get it off her chest after so long.

"Oh," he sounded stunned too. "So er, what now then?"

"I reckon we should kiss," Meera said firmly, decisively.

The two of them did just that, stood in front of the fireplace in Rose and Scorpius' living room, almost as if they were the only two people left in the world as Scorpius and Lysander grinned proudly and Rose gave Lorcan a huge hug and whispered a relieved 'thank you' in his ear.

"S'alright," Lorcan muttered looking embarrassed as he looked down at his watch, though Rose secretly thought he was rather happy for the couple too, if his own amused smile was anything to go by.

Or maybe it was just relief that the new extendable ears worked brilliantly after all.

With Lorcan Scamander, no one could ever really tell.

**...**

Coming out of her reverie and reflections on Hugo and Meera's happiness and that passionate kiss she'd witnessed that day that had led to this very event, Rose now took Scorpius' hand and tugged him out of the crowded kitchen for a bit of momentary peace and quiet. The Burrow was full of wedding guests- family and friends alike and the wedding party was just moving out into the seats in the garden where Lorcan was setting up the fireworks accompanied by her Uncle Teddy, awaiting the start of the ceremony. It was hard to find some quiet space, but eventually she found an area of the garden free from people and disgruntled gnomes. "One hundred galleons says I'm going to have a son--" Rose began, as Scorpius' eyes widened in speculative surprise, "--by the end of tomorrow morning. I agree with our fathers."

Scorpius grinned; "you're betting on your _own_ welfare now, too, love?" he said teasingly.

"I think in this instance it's rather fitting," Rose said with a smile, "besides, it was your idea and I'm never one to back away from a challenge."

Scorpius made his voice as high-pitched as he could manage; "oh you're going _down_, Malfoy," he chirped, reminiscent of their very first flying lesson with Madam Hooch so many years ago.

Rose swatted him playfully, bubbling over with merry laughter and memories; "how long have you been waiting to say _that?_"

He tucked a strand of red hair behind her ears, "feels like forever," he said solemnly, and her cheeks grew warm. "I think," he added seriously, "that we are going to have a _daughter_. A daughter who likes to flail her arms when she's impatient and wants to get her point across, just like her mother does. She is going to be particularly stubborn, just like you, darling and I cannot wait."

"No chance," Rose said, shaking her head in denial and unwittingly proving his point.

"What's more," Scorpius concluded as he tilted her chin to his and brushed a kiss to her freckled forehead; "she's going to be here by the _end of the night_."

"Have you been overdosing on your confundus potions again?" Rose teased him brightly.

Scorpius had once had an "incident" when bottling the confundus curse in their apothecary, a potion had gone awry, exploded, and had resulted in him summoning _Cornish pixies_ to their shop and engaging in an elaborate sing-song and dance routine with the highly-mischievous creatures. Rose still loved to remind him of it now, even over a year later.

"I know I'm right," Scorpius finished with a smirk, though his cheeks reddened at the humiliating memory, "I _am_ bloody brilliant after all."

"And bloody big-headed too," Rose stood on tiptoes and pressed her mouth to his in a sweet, tender kiss; "it's a good thing I love you."

**HPHPHPHP**

In the end and not for the first time, Rose lost another wager to Scorpius. She wasn't sure if it was the sound of Lorcan's super-duper whizzpopper fireworks bursting overhead as Hugo and Meera walked down the aisle, or the emotion of the day as her brother finally married his beautiful bride, but her contractions kicked in some point after the celebratory toasts and during Lily's hilarious "best-man" speech.

Scorpius looked smug as he helped her to her feet; "I think it's off to St Mungo's with _you_, darling," he said with a smirk, "and maybe we'll bypass Gringotts on the way so you can get me those one hundred galleons you owe me. Chop-chop."

He was amused to see his father and father-in-law shaking hands, looking satisfied, as the rest of the guests grumbled at the notion that _they_ might have won the bet. It certainly looked like the new addition would arrive before morning after all, if Rose's pained face was anything to go by.

Rose elbowed Scorpius, panting between contractions; "it might stay in there till tomorrow morning," she said almost hopefully, breathing more easily as her Aunty Ginny cast a quick pain-relieving charm at her.

Hermione and Ron exchanged glances and Draco folded his arms with a grin. "Doubt it, love," her mum said and she and the rest of the wedding party waved them off as the fireworks continued bursting overhead in a shower of colourful sparks, "if this baby is anything like you, it's going to be bloody quick."

**HPHPHPHP**

And quick it was. Rose was surprised later at how fast it had been, but the pure elation of finally holding their baby dimmed her irritation that once more, _Scorpius _had won the bet, though she imagined her father and Draco would be as surprised to lose as she was. The stars twinkled brightly outside the sky of St Mungo's as their baby gave its first shrill cry, just before the clock on the wall signalled 12:00am.

"This is one bet I really don't mind losing," Rose said with a contented smile an hour later as she curled up tiredly against the cotton sheets. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" She ran shaking fingers over the baby's cupid bow lips as she snuffled happily, curling her little hands. Her own tiny fingers were splayed like starfish as her parents gazed down at her in awe, at her pale blond hair and even paler skin, wrapped in a blue and bronze blanket. Annabel Astoria Malfoy. The new generation of Malfoy's.

"Perfect," Scorpius echoed simply and sincerely, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked down at his new daughter; "though, Rose…"

"Yes love?"

He couldn't hide his smirk as she rested back in his arms and his daughter gazed up at him; his own grey eyes were expressive and wondering as he gazed back down at her just as incredulously, "I have to say, I've never seen a Malfoy with _freckles_ before."

**THE END**

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**A/N1:** The part about betting on the date of the baby's arrival was borrowed shamelessly from F.R.I.E.N.D.S before anybody asks. I couldn't help it, it just seemed to fit!

**A/N2:** Thanks for sticking with this story and for all your reviews which mean so much to me, so I hope you'll take the chance to hit that purple button just one more time and let me know what you think of this chapter too :) Cliche? Yep, all the way.

**A/N3:** I have no plans for a _sequel_ to this but may work some one-shots around it if they fit, though first of all I'm going to take some time to read other people's fanfiction for a while! I'm always working on one-shots and have another Rose/Scorpius coming up fairly soon- so please put me on alert if you think that any of my other stories might be of interest to you!Once again, thanks so much for reading and sticking with me!

**Happy New Year! ****Pinkjimmychoos :)**

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